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Glass. 
Book- 



LIFE AND CAMPAIGNS 



OF 



GIVING AN ACCOUNT OF 



ALL HIS ENGAGEMENTS, 



FROM THE 



m M TOULM T§ m BATM W WATERLOO: 



AliSO, 

EMBRACING ACCOUNTS OF THE DARING EXPLOITS OF HIS MARSHALS. 
TOGETHER WITH HIS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LIFE, FROM THiS 
COMMENCEMENT OF HIS CAREER. TO HIS FINAL IM- 
PRISONMENT AND DEATH ON THE EOCK 
OF 85?. HELENA. 



TEAN3LATED FSOU THS FEENCH CF 

A^' ARNAULT AND C. L. F. PANCKOUCKE, 



NEW EDITION, nXUSTRATED. 



TWO VOLUMES IN ONE. 



PHILADELPHIA : 

POUTER & COATES, 



W"x 



\ . 



/ 






PREFACE 



In ushering these Memoirs of the Life of Napo- 
leon Bonaparte into the world, we have not confin- 
ed ourselves to the splendid work of M. V. Arnault 
hut, in order to furnish a faithful narrative, pubn^ 
political and private, have availed ourselves of eve- 
ry species of information afforded by diflerent au- 
thorities, from the commencement of the career of 
the departed hero, to the closing scene of his last 
hours at St. Helena. 

It is an undoubted fact, that the greatest hght has 
been thrown upon the character and conduct of this 
extraordinary personage, subsequent to his exile to 
St. Helena in 1815; and the communications since 
made by his faithful attendants, and various gen- 
erals, in France and elsewhere, have now received 
the stamp of unquestionable authority. 

Acting upon the maxim that requires the hearing 
')/ both parties, and considering that public opinion, 
in this country, respecting the character and ac- 
tions of Napoleon, has been formed chiefly from the 
perusal of the writings of Englishmen, we have 
^preferred the translation of these Memoirs from 
V several French authors of eminence, to any others. 
To avoid the imperfections inseparable from hasty 
productions, which have been promoted by the 
avidity of the pubhc for every thing relative to 
Napoleon, we have waited for the assistance of alJ 
the most valuable {)ubhcations on the continent, 
es]jecially Victoires, Conquetes, Desastres, Revers ei 
Gutrres Civiles des Francais, de 1792, a 1815; paJ 
Une Soc!(^t6 des Militaires et de Gens de Lettres 
Paris^ C. L F. Pamkoucke. Editeur 



tV PREFACE. 

To this work, consisting of twentj-six octav« 
volumes, a number of French generals and supe- 
rior officers have actually contributed ; and the edi- 
tor may justly boast of " adiK^ns of eclat, remarkable 
and curious facts, traits of I ravery and generosity 
les mots heureux des chefs el soldats ; the historj' oi' 
each regiment, and, in fact, of every thing honour 
able to the French in all parts of the world wheie 
they have fought." 

We trust that the object of our undertaking to 
furnish a correct view of the life of Napoleon, pub- 
he, political, and private, has been oo^amed to the 
utmost extent of the limits prescribed ; and that the 
Citizen, the Soldier, and the Man, have been faith 
fully exhibited. Napoleon, if not great in his be- 
ginning, was great in his career — gr*^^! in his fall 
but never so great as his patience t.nd mp unanimi- 
ty have shown him in his captivity. ""'« was dur- 
ing the years of a dreary and hopeless exile, that hj& 
mind, whose element was action, whose health de- 
pended on incessant and boundless exertion, left to 
prey upon, and eat into itself, at length seemed tr 
rekindle : hence it was fortunate that the impetus „^ 
exuberance of his ideas forced him to have recc irse 
to the dictation of his Memoirs ; for, in this manner, 
his statements came warm and fresh from his pow- 
erful and original mind, stamped with the innate 
freedom, boldness, and energy of his character, and 
utterly divested of any symptom of painful and anx- 
■ous elaboration. To the future historian, their val- 
ue will be incalculable: with regard to the Memoirs 
theniselves, no history can ever supersede them." 

The facts herein recorded need not the brdhant 
fancy of the poet, nor the artful skill of the rhetori- 
cian, to render them interesting. The simple detail, 
and the narrative unadorned, are quite sufficient to 
sngage the attention of the reader through a series 
of events, that are without a parallel in tiie annali 
of the world. 



MEMOIRS 



OF 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE 



CHAPTER I. 



The Family of the bonapartes, and tlieir Situation in Corsiccr- 
Cardinal Fesch — Madame Bonaparte — Birth of Napoleon — 
He enters the School of Brienne — His Acquireinenis — Piche- 
gru — Ridicidoits Tales and Anecdotes of Napoleon in his 
Yoidh — His Retreat at Bnenne — A severe Disciplinarian — Hii 
Partiality for heroic Games — Fortress of Snow, attacked and 
defended with Snow-halls — A regiment formed of Flint-stones — 
Anecdotes — Narrowly escapes drowning — Anecdote — Admitted 
into the Artillery — MesdamAis (^olombier — General Paoli — 
Bonaparte appointed Comnumdant of tlie Nalional Guard 
in Corsica — Commawls an unsuccessful Expedition against 
Cagliari — Makes a fruitless Attack upon Ajaccio — Is hanislvd 
from Corsica, and eniharks with tiis Family for Fratwe. 

Charles Bonaparte, the father of Napolecn, 
was a Corsican of a noble family, as well as his 
spouse, a woman of remarkable beauty and sound 
judirment. He was at first intended for the law, and 
had cultivated his mind by studies adapted to his fu- 
lure profession. But, called upon by the danger of 
his country, he quitted the long robe for the sword, 
and distmguished himself under Paschal Paoli. 

Charles Bonaparte remained in Corsica, and con- 
ciliated the esteem of the Freiien and the affectioi 
of his compatriots, by the good quaLHics ne possess 

VOL. I I 



MEMOIRS or 



ed. In 1776, Corsica having sent a deputation t<i 
the king of France, selected from the three orders 
of the states, Charles Bonaparte appeared at Ver- 
sailles as deputy from the noblesse. A short time 
after, he was nominated judge and assessor of tho 
tribunal of Ajaccio, and he thus re-entered the ca- 
reer for which he was originally intended. He 
was tall, handsome, and well made. Educated at 
Rome and Pisa, it was at the latter place he studied 
the law. He died at the age of thirty-eight, of an 
habitual induration of the heart. He had experi- 
enced a temporary relief during one of his visits to 
Montpelier, and was interred in one of the convents 
there. 

^Charles Bonaparte married Mademoiselle Letitia 
Ramolini, whose mother, after the death of her first 
husband, married Captain Fesch, an officer in one 
of the Swiss regiments which the Genoese usually 
maintained in the island. Cardinal Fesch was the 
issue of the second marriage, and was consequently 
step-brother to Madame Bonaparte. 

Whilst the war was carried on by the Corsicans 
against the French, Madame Bonaparte shared the 
fatigues and dangers of her husband, who was an 
enthusiast in the cause of his country. In his dif 
ferent expeditions she frequently followed him on 
horseback, whilst she was pregnant with Napoleon, 
She possessed extraordinary vigour of mind, joined 
to considerable pride and loftiness of spirit. She 
was the mother of thirteen children, though a wid- 
ow at the age of thirty. Of these only five boys 
and three girls lived, all of whom became conspicu- 
ous characters during the reign of Napoleon. 

In 1767, when the Corsicans took up arms to re- 
eist th''* sub;ugation of their country to the yoke of 



NAPOLEUN BONAPARTE. 3 

France, who had purchased the island of its olft 
jFiasters the Genoeae, the father of Napoleon firs 
quitted the gown for the sword, and under Genera 
Paoli, who was godfather to his eldest son Joseph, 
fought bravely, though unsuccessfully, for the lib- 
erties of his country. 

While this contest continued, Madame Bonaparte 
the mother of Napoleon, was constantly flying from 
town to town, and from village to village, to avoid 
the French, dreading nothing so much as falling 
into their hands. After repeated changes of place, 
she was delivered of Napoleon, her second son, 
two months after the Corsicans had given up the 
struggle. Pius VII. was excessively struck with 
the circumstance, when it was related to him in th" 
year 1801, by the French ambassador. 

This distinguished and interesting member of the 
Bonaparte family, their late venerable mother, re- 
tained till her death great remains of beauty, and 
was as dignified in adversity as she was moderate 
in prosperity. Her thoughts and feelings for the 
last few years of her life had but one sole object— 
the prisoner of St. Helena, whose pride she reprov- 
ed in the days of his glory ; whose fall she lament- 
ed, more as the child of her affections, than as the 
sovereign of a mighty empire. 

This remarkable woman paid the debt of nature 
at Marseilles in the decline of the year 1822. The 
evening preceding her death,- she called together 
all her household. She was supported on white 
velvet pillows ; her bed was a crimson damask, and 
in tJie centre hung a crown decorated with flowers. 
The whole of the apartment was lighted in grand 
6ty<e. She called her servants one after another 
fo ner bed-side, where they knelt, and kissed ber 



* MEMOIRS OF 

pvlended hand, which was shrivelled, ajd co'xiea 
W'ith a profusion of rings. To the chief director oi 
her finances, Juan Barosa, she said, " Juan, my bless- 
ing go with thee and thine." — To Maria Belgrade 
her waiting-woman, she said, " Go to Jerome ; he 
will take care of thee. When my graudson is em- 
peror of France he will make thee a great woman.^' 
— She then called Colonel Dariey to her bed-side • 
he had attended her in all her fortunes, and in Na- 
poleon's will, he had assigned him a donation of 
14,000/. — "You," said she, "have been a good 
friend to me and my family. I have left you what 
will make you happy. Never forget my grandson, 
and what he and you may arrive at, is beyond my 
discerning ; but you will both be great." — She then 
called in all her junior servants, and with a pencil, 
as their names were called, marked down a sum of 
money to be given to each. They were then dis- 
missed, and she declared she had done with the 
world, and requested water. She washed her hands, 
and lay down upon her pillow. Her attendants 
found her dead, with her hand under her head, and 
a prayer-book open her breast. Her chief heir is 
her grandson, who, it is said, will ultimately receive 
an immense fortune. To her seven children, still 
living, namely, Joseph Bonaparte, Lucien, Louis, 
Jerome, Eliza, Pauline, and Caroline, and to Hor- 
tensia, daughter of Josephine, she bequeathed to 
each and every one of them the sum of 150,000 
scudi, 37,000L sterling, making in the whole 
300,000Z. And to her brother, Cardinal Fesch 
she left a superb palace, filled with the most splen- 
did furniture and varieties of every description. 

Joseph Napoleon, grand electeur, the eldest of 
Ji3 family, was originally intended for the church 



NAPOLEON B( NAPARTR. 

t>n accDunl of tlie influence possessed by that friend 
of the family, Marbeuf, arc^^bjshop of Lyons. He 
went through the regular course of study ; but when 
the moment arrived for his taking orders, he refus- 
ed to embrace the ecclesiastical profession. He 
became successively king of Naples and of Spain, 
but is now a citizen of the United States. He mar- 
ried Miss Julia Clary, who resides at Brussels as 
Countess of Survilier. 

The other brothers of Napoleon were Louis, Lu- 
cien, and Jerome. The first was distinguished as 
grand constable of France, and afterwards king 
of Holland. Since the restoration of the Bourbons, 
he has assumed the title of Count St. Leu. 

Lucien has now a princely residence at Rome, to 
the vicinity of which he has been in a measure con- 
fined ever since his brother's abdication, subsequent 
to the battle of Waterloo. 

Jerome Bonaparte, the youngest brother, was 
made king of Westphalia in 1807, and in the same 
year married to Catherine, daughter of the king 
of Wirtemberg by his first wife, Caroline of Bruns- 
ivick. 

Maria Annunciade Carolina, youngest sister to 
Napoleon, born March 25, 1788, married Prince 
Murat, afterwards king of Naples. 

Maria Anna Eliza, another sister, became great 
dntchess of Tuscany, princess of Lucca and Piom- 
bino. She is since deceased. 

Maria Paulina, a third sister, was married to the 
Prince Borghese, duke of Guastalla. 

Napoleon was born about noon on the 15th of 

August, on the day of Assumption in the year 1769, 

l>r, as some have asserted, in 1768. His mnthef 

vio was possessed of great bodily enargy, wished 

1* 



4' MEMOIIIS OF 

t") attend mass, on account of the solemnity of thi 
day, and; being taken ill at church, was delivere<i 
on her return home before she could be conveyed 
to her chamber. The child, as soon as it was born 
was laid on the carpet, an old fashioned article rep- 
resenting at full length the heroes of fable — this 
child was Napoleon. 

Napolion, or Napoleon, as before observed, was 
the second son of Charles Bonaparte and of Mad- 
ame Lotitia Ramolini, from whose marriage sprang 
eight children, who, two excepted, have sat upon 
thrones. One of these exceptions was Lucien, who, 
to the pleasure of being a king, preferred setting 
himself in opposition to the soldier who made kings. 

As it may readily be conceived. Napoleon in his 
early youth was adroit, lively, and agile in the ex- 
treme. He had gained, it is said, the most com- 
plete ascendency over his brother Joseph, who was 
often beaten and ill-treated ; if complaints were 
carried to the mother, she usually took the part of 
Napoleon, and would seldom allow Joseph to speak 
in his own defence. 

The French government, regarding education ar 
one of the most efficacious means of modifying the 
i.ational character, and of attaching the rising gen- 
eration to the interests of France, having decided 
that a certain number of young Corsicans, belong- 
ing to families who had the greatest influence, 
should be educated in the French schools, Napoleon 
entered as a king's scholar in the military schooj 
of Brienne, under the monks who then superintend- 
ed even those establishments. His name, which in 
his Corsican accent he pronounced as if writtpa 
^npoillonS, from the similarity of the sound, procur 
rid for him, among hisyoi thful companions, the nicl» 



NAPOLEON B0NAIART15. 

lame of la paille au nez^ viz. straw in his nose 
In .1783, Napoleon was one of tho scholars who, at 
the annual competition at Brienne, were selected 
to be sent to the military school at Paris, to finish 
their education. M. Keralio, the inspector, was 
particularly attached to young Napc.feon. He was 
fond of the boys in general ; played with them 
when they had finished their examinations, and per- 
mitted those who had acquitted themselves most to 
his satisfaction to dine with him. Bonaparte was 
singled out by him to be sent to Paris, though he 
had not quite attained the requisite age. Upon its 
being suggested to him to wait till the following 
year, and give his pupil more time for improvement, 
he replied, " I know what I am about ; and if I am 
transgressing the rules, it is not on account of fami- 
ly influence. I know nothing of the friends of this 
youth. I am actuated only by my own opinion of 
his merit: I perceive in him a spark of genius 
which cannot be too early fostered." 

M. Keralio died before he could carry this reso- 
lution into effect ; however, M. de Regnaud, his 
successor, the next year fulfilled his intentions, and 
young Napoleon was sent to Paris. The following 
document, which has been incorrectly given in dif- 
ferent publications, is here inserted verbatim, as 
taken from the register of the Ecole Militaire de 
Brienne^ for the year 1784, the copy of which waa 
purchased by Louis Bonaparte for a considerable 
Bum. It may be necessary to state, that two stu- 
dents of the college of Brienne were annually 
chosen as fit persons to be sent to the Ecole Mili- 
taire of Paris, and that the above year was tJiat ii 
which Napoleon Bonaparte and Monsieur de Cas- 
Ires were sc selected The following is tlie trans- 



MEMOIRS OP 



lation of the certificate which the former 3aniet 
ivith hira:~ 

Description of the King's Students, capahlt, from 
their age, of entering the Service, or of passing ta 
the Military School of Paris ; namely, 

M. de Bonaparte (Napoleon) born the 15th of 
August, 1764. Height, 4 feet, 10 inches, 10 
lines has finished his fourth degree. 

Of gooa constitution, excellent health, a character 
docile, frank, and grateful ; of very regular habits ; 
has always distinguished himself by his applica- 
tion to mathematics: he is pretty conversant 
with history and geography ; rather deficient in 
polite accomplishments, as well as Latin ; having 
only finished his fourth class. He will prove an 
excellent marine. 

Deserves to pass to the School at Paris. 

4s a proof of the susceptibility of his temper, it 
is related, that one day the quarter-master, a man 
of harsh disposition, condemned Napoleon, by way 
of punishment, to wear the serge coat, and to take 
his dinner on his knees at the door of the refectory. 
The mortification felt by the disgraced pupil on this 
account was so great as to subject him to a violent 
retching and a severe nervous attack, when the 
head-master of the school, happening to pass acci- 
dentally, relieved him from the punishment, and re- 
proved the quarter-master for his want of discern- 
ment Father Patrault also, the professor of mathe- 
matics, was much offended on finding that his first 
mathematician had been treated vith such marked 
tontempt. 



NAPULEON BONAPARTE. ^ 

Napoleon, however, confessed, " that, on atta /ning 
aie ago of puberty, his temper actai\lly became 
morose and reserved ; his passion for reading wsa 
carried to excess, and he eagerly devoured the con- 
tents of every booK that fell in his way." Whilst 
Napoleon was at this school, Pichegru was his 
quarter-master, and his tutor in the four rules of 
arithmetic. Napoleon retained but a faint idea of 
Pichegru ; he remembered that he was a tall man, 
rather red in the face. Pichegru, on the contrary, 
preserved a distinct remembrance of young Napo- 
leon ; and, when this general joined the royalist 
party, he was asked whether it would not be possi- 
ble to gain over the general of the army of Italy. 
" To attempt that," said he, " would only be wasting 
time : from my knowledge of him when a boy, I am 
sure he must be a most inflexible character ; he has 
taken his resolutions, and he will not change them." 

The emperor, during his exile, was often amused 
by the ridiculous tales and anecdotes that are relat- 
ed of his boyhood in the numerous little publica- 
tions which he had happened to peruse. But one, 
relative to his conjinnation at the military school, 
he allowed to be genuine. It is as follows : — The 
archbishop who confirmed him, manifesting his 
astonishment at the name of Napoleon, said he did 
not know of any such saint, and that there was no 
fiuch name in the calendar ; the boy quickly replied, 
"That could be no rule, since there were an im- 
mense number of saints, and only 365 days." 

A similar instance of his promptitude of reph 
was displayed on another occasion, during his resi- 
donee at tliis school : as he was one day under- 
going ar examination by a general officer. Napo- 
leon answered all the questions proposed with 8« 



10 MEMOIRS OF 

much precision, accompanied by such a depth of 
penetration, that the general, th3 professors, and 
the students, were completely astonished. Al 
length, in order to bring the interrogatories to a 
close, the following question was proposed t(> the 
youth: — " What line of conduct would you adopt 
in case you were besieged in a fortified place, and 
was destitute of provisions ?" — " So long as there 
were any in the camp of the enemy, I should never 
be at a great loss for a supply," was the answer, 
without the smallest hesitation. These emphatic 
vords seemed the prognostic of his future fortunes. 

Napoleon from his infancy was generally inclined 
to be serious and thoughtful, with no small anxiety 
after knowledge, though the study of the ancient 
languages had always less attraction for him than 
history or the mathematics. But, finding few char- 
acters similar to his own, his intimates were of 
course not numerous ; but it would be false to in- 
sinuate that he had no friends. Some of his earli- 
est connexions of amity originated in this school. 
VI. Fauvelet de Bourriene was among these, and 
always attached himself to the fortunes of Napoleon 
in Italy, in Egypt, and in France, when, under the 
title of consul, he took possession of the govern- 
ment. 

Few of the pupils at Brienne were admitted into 
the retreat that Napoleon had formed for himseifj 
upon the ground that was assigned to him to culti 
vate or break up at his pleasure. While he was a 
pupil here, at least out of school hours, though in 
the midst of about 150 scholars, he lived nearly 
Bequestered, and never participated in their amuse- 
ments. Upon the ground assigned to him in the 
garden he chose his place of retreat, and fortified 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 1^ 

the entrance with palisadoes, &c. against all in. 
traders. Within this intrenchment he admittea 
acne but liis favourite few. He was already a 
severe disciplinarian, — a premature virtue in this 
place, — which more than once exposed hirn to the 
resentment of his comrades. They had nominatec" 
hhn their officer, and they were surprised that he 
fehoujd treat them as privates. Napoleon, in the 
room of childish amusements, substituted the rep- 
resentation of heroic achievements. In the court 
allotted to the boys for their recreation, he some- 
times formed a circus for gladiators ; sometimes an 
arena for the Olympic games. These heroic games 
being at one period suspended, this Achilles retired 
into his tent ; but there he could not rest long ; not 
waiting even for spring, he left his quarters in the 
depth of winter. There had been a heavy fall of 
5now : the boys amused themselves by forming it 
into heaps. The young general, however, con 
trived to turn this fall of snow to his advantage, 
and, with equal accuracy and skill, raised a number 
of redoubts and retrenchments in the manner of 
Vauban: he thus formed the first citadel, before 
which he displayed that genius that was afterwArds 
to open to him the gates of Toulon and Mantua. 
With bullets of snow he defended that place against 
the attacks made with others of the same kir.d 
This campaign, however, was soon finished by a 
thaw. 

Stiil every season afforded convenience for some 
military game or other. For iiim each was made 
to produce arms, and sometimes soldiers. It was 
not merely with pieces of ivory o/ lead, that this 
young tactician composed his army : for want of 
better, he had at one period got a reg'ment of flints 



12 MEMOIRS OF * 

Tnese, being once formed into a line, he would have 
respected as real soldiers. One of his comrades, 
who either wantonly or maliciously happened to 
disarrange his order of battle, had occasion to re- 
pent of it, and carried the mark of the chastise 
ment which he drew upon himself by tliis impru- 
dence all the rest of his days. Stin this mark 
proved useful to him when Bonaparte, many years 
after, had risen to his highest elevation. It was 
then announced to him, that one of his former 
school-fellows wished to be introduced. Napoleon 
had no recollection of his name : " Ask him," said 
he, "if he knows of any thing particular that may 
assist me m recollecting him." — " Sire, he has a 
'/ery deep scar on his forehead ; and he says you 
ought to recollect what passed between you and him 
wlien that was made." — "He is in the right," said 
the emperor: "I know how that mark was made 
I threw a general at his head. Let him come in." 
One day, when Napoleon was speaking of Turenne 
with considerable warmth, a lady observed, " he 
was a gr.eat man, but I should have liked him bet- 
ter if he had not ravaged the Palatinate." — " What 
does that signify," replied the young officer, brisk- 
ly, " if this hurning was necessary to his views V 

It seems evident that the parents of Napoleon 
had rested their principal hopes on him from his 
earliest childhood. His father, when dying at Mont- 
pelier, though Joseph was with him, spoke only of 
Napoleon, v/ho was then at the military school. In 
ihe delirium which seized him in his last moments, 
he incessantly called Napoleon to come to his aid 
with his great sword. The grand uncle, Lucien, 
who on his death-bed was surrounded by all hia 
•eiatives, said, addressing Kimsf if to Joseph, " You 



/iAPOLEON BONAPARTE. th 

are the eldest of the family ; but ther€ is the head 
of it (pointing to Napoleon) — never lose sight of 
him." The emperor used to laugh, and say, " This 
was a true dismheritance ; it was the scene ol 
lacob and Esau." 

Napoleon was scarcely eighteen years of age 
when the Abb6 Raynal, struck with the extent of 
his acquirements, appreciated them so highly as to 
invite him to his scientific dejeun^s. The ceiebrf^t- 
ed Paoli was also accustomed to say, " This young 
man is formed on the ancient model : he is one of 
Plutarch's men." 

When Napoleon was at the military school a.t 
Paris, and about seventeen years of age, he had a 
narrow escape for his life. While swimming in 
the Seine, the cramp seized him, and, after several 
meffectual struggles, he sank. At that moment, 
he declared he experienced ail the sensations of 
dying, and lost all recollection. However, after h( 
had sunk, the current carried him upon a bank of 
sand, on the edge of which it threw him, where he 
lay senseless for some time, till he was restored by 
the aid of his young companions, who saw him by 
accident. Previous to this, they had given him up 
for lost, as they saw him sink, but did not imagine 
the current would have carried him to such a con- 
siderable distance. 

Before we follow Napoleon in the career upon 
ft'hich he entered, we shall illustrate an event which 
was connected with the period of his stay at tiie 
military school at Paris. In 1784, when people 
were generally occupied with the discoveries made 
by M. Montgolfier, this aeronaut was allowed to 
make his experiments in the Champ de Mars. One 
day, when every thing was ready for his departure, 

^OL I. 2 B 



14 MEMOIRS or 

a pupil of the military school insisted upon icci m 
psnying him ; but notwithstanding all his entreaties 
as he was not able to obtain his request, he rushed 
upon the aeronaut sword in hand, and injured hiin 
so much that he was incapable of proceeding. Some 
biographers have imputed this act to Napoleon ; but 
the perpetrator was one of his comrades, Dupont de 
Charbon, a young man who has since distinguished 
himself by the impetuosity of his character upon 
more than one occasion. Dupont died abroad in a 
state nearly bordering upon insanity.) 

In the year 1785, Bonaparte was admitted into 
the artillery: he went from the military school at 
Paris into the regiment de la Fere, in quality of 
second lieutenant. 

Instead of imitating the frivolity of many young 
men of his age, his mind was continually intent ou 
military studies, and from the lives of Plutarch, a 
volume of which he generally carried about him, he 
learned at an early age to copy the manners, and 
emulate the great actions, of antiquity. 

After joining his regiment at Valence, his first 
comrades at the mess table were Laribossiere, who 
during the empire was appointed inspector-general 
of the artillery ; Sorbier, who succeeded him ; 
D'H edouville, junior ; Mallet, the brother of him who 
headed the tumult in Paris in 1813 ; an officer nam- 
ed Mabille, whom, on his return from emigration, 
the emperor appointed post-niaster-general ; K ol-^ 
land de Viilarceaux, afterwards prefect of Nismes 
Desmazzis, senior, his companion at the militar}' 
school, and the friend of his early years, who, af- 
♦er Napoleon ascended the throne, \)e<:ame keepei 
of the imperial wardrobe. 



NAPOLEON BONAP.vRTE. 15 

The regiment de la F^re behaved so badly to th« 
uihabitants of Turin,. that Napoleon was obliged to 
reduce them. He accordingly had them marched 
to Paris, and assembled on the parade, where he 
ordered the colours to be taken from them by some 
colonels, and lodged in the church of the Invalids 
covered with mourning. The officers, who had not 
behaved so badly as the principal actors, were di- 
vided amongst other regiments. Some months af- 
terwards he formed the regiment again under dif- 
ferent officers, and the colours were taken from the 
clmrch with great pomp by a number of colonels, 
each tearing a piece off, which they burnt, and 
new ones were given in their stead. 

At Valence Napoleon was introduced to Madame 
Colombier, a lady about fifty years of age, who was 
endowed with many rare and estimable qualities, 
and was one of the most distinguished persons in 
the place. She entertained a great regard for the 
young artillery officer. She introduced him to the 
Abb6 de St. Rufe, a man of considerable property, 
who was frequently visited by the most distinguish- 
ed persons in the country. Madame Colombier of- 
ten foretold that Napoleon would be an eminent 
man. The death of this lady happened about the 
time of tho breaking out of the revolution, — an event 
in which she took great mterest. The emperoi 
never spd ke of Madame Colombier but with ex- 
pressions of the tnnderest gratitude. 

It was also at \" alence that Napoleon's first sus- 
ceptibility of the tender passion was excited by 
Mademoiselle Colombier, the daughter, who on her 
part was not insensible to his merits. It was the 
first lovo of both, and of that kind which might be 
expected at Cieir age, and with their education. " We 



16 MEMOIRS OF 

(vere the most innocent creatures imaginable," the 
emperor used to say ; " we contrived little meetings 
together: I well remember one which took place 
n a midsummer morning, just as day-light began 
dawn. It will scarcely be belie\ed that all our 
happiness consisted in eating cherries together." 

When the emperor was proceeding to be crown- 
ed king of Italy, in passing through Lyons, he 
again saw Mademoiselle Colombier, who had chang- 
ed her name to Madame de Bressieux. She gain- 
ed access to him with some difficulty ; Napoleon 
was happy to see her, though he found her much 
altered for the worse. He granted what she soli- 
cited for her husband, and placed her in the situa- 
tion of lady of honour to one of his sisters. 

Napoleon himself, it is said, referring to the part 
which he took at the first breaking out of the 
French revolution, observed, " Had I been a gene 
ral, 1 should have been of the court party ; sub- 
lieutenant, I should have declared for the revolu- 
tion." He had, however, most decidedly ranged 
himself under the standard of liberty, when circum 
stances brought him to the knowledge of one of itt 
most illustrious defenders, a man who till then hac 
been the hero of Corsica, General Paoli. Thi> 
general, who, after having fought with more glory 
than success for the independence of Corsica, found 
himself compelled to retire to England, had been 
authorized by the Constituent Assembly to reclaim 
the rank of citizen in his own country, then liber- 
ated by France, and of which it was then become 
an integral part. He ar-^^ed at Paris. Napoleon, 
whose father, as before observed, had distinguish- 
ed himself in the war of independence, was receiv 
ed. as a son by this old fnend of Charles Bonaparte 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 1 

The qualifications of young Bonaparte, and which 
had long' been perceived by men of less penetration 
than Paoli, did not escape a man enlightened by so 
much experience. Whate\er might have been he 
designs of Paoli, he found it very useful to attach 
this young soldier to himself, who, on his part, fol- 
lowed the old general with all the patriotism of a 
Frenchman, while the patriotism of Paoli was only 
that of a Corsican. 

The impulse which the French revolution had 
given to Corsica, was not entirely to the interest of 
France. The majority of the local population 
were more in the habit of considering the French 
as masters than fellow-citizens, and of course 
could not perceive any liberty in any order of 
things that did not confer independence upon the 
whole island. Paoli himself was inclined to this 
mode of thinking. At first he dissimulated, but he 
could not long conceal the preference that he gave 
to the English coastitution beyond that which the 
French legislature had conferred upon Corsica. 

This predilection for the British regime, and his 
aversion to disorder, soon rendered Paoli a suspect- 
ed character. He was several times accused be- 
fore the legislature of an intention to deliver up to 
England that country for whose liberties he had 
fought. Following the example of the French, the 
island was divided into aristocrats and democrats : 
this produced other sub-divisions. Those who were 
on the side of liberty separated from Paoli's parti- 
sans, who had declared for the independence of Cor- 
sica ; and these being declared traitors by the Conven- 
tion., perhaps compelled them to become such in re 
ality. Bonaparte remained a French citizen, snd, 
v^ithout hesitating l)etween the interest or the in 



18 MEMOIRS OP [179S 

clinatM n of his friend, and those of lis country, he 
ceastd to be the soldier of Paoli, to ivoid becoming 
B subject to England. 

It was not without pain that he divested himself 
irt' his long attachment to a man »vhom he had so 
many years admired as a hero. He undertook Pa 
oli's defence upon many occasions, attended with 
danger. With his own hands he fixed upon the 
walls of Ajaccio the answer by which the munici- 
pality of that city refuted the basis of the decree 
issued against Paoli by the Convention. By this 
action, not less gene'^ous than courageous, he ex- 
posed himself to the animadversions of the com- 
missaries sent to Corsica to put that decree in ex 
ecution. Still his attachment to an habitual 
friendship ^id not carry him beyond the limits of 
his duty. Appointed commandant of the national 
guard, paid by government, he always maintained 
the interests of France against the national guard 
that did not receive pay, but which was in the in- 
terest of Paoli. This firmness in Bonaparte was 
never pardoned. Having quelled a kind of insur- 
rection, he was accused of having provoked the 
disorder for the purpose of rendering himself use- 
ful in repressing it, and was obliged to go to Paris, 
to justify his conduct. This occurred in the year 
1792, an epoch which was distinguished by the fall 
of royalty in France. 

On his return to Corsica, after the memorable 
1 0th of August, in that year, he at length found 
an opportunity of exercising his military talents. 
France was proclaimed a republic. She was threat- 
ened by, and she attacked all the powers of Europe. 
More than a million of Frenchmen fled to arms 
aid in a short time the French armies were upor 



1792.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. H 

the territories of those powers who had been dri /- 
en from France. Belgium was eonquered ; Savoy 
was invaded. A fleet sailed from Toulon under 
Admiral Truguet. Bonaparte directed this expedi- 
tion, which seized upon the island and fort of Su 
Etienne, as well as the Isle de la Madeleine, belong- 
ing to the king of Sardinia. This was conquering 
as far as lay in his power. 

Truguet, before he met with the enemy, had to con- 
tend w'lih the elements, and this completely pre- 
vented the junction of his fleet with the squadron 
cruising ofl" Naples. When they arrived before 
Cagliari, they were received in a manner they did 
not expect from these islanders, who saluted them 
with showers of red hot balls. The troops that at- 
tempted a descent were also defeated. This ex- 
pedition cost the republic a ship of the line and 
five or six hundred men, though their success at 
first seemed placed beyond a doubt. Among the 
troops were two battalions of the Corsican national 
guards. 

The disorganization and retreat of this fleet in- 
spired the independent party "in Corsica with great 
hopes ; the discontented rallied their forces, and, in 
spite of the decrees of the Convention, and the 
feeble array left in Corsica to retain them in obedi- 
ence, they convoked a Consulta at Cort^, under 
the auspices of Paoli, formed a council of govern- 
ment, the secretary of which was M. Pozzo di Bor- 
go, at present the Russian ambassador at the court 
of France. The president, Paoli, was nominated 
generalisshno of the Corsican army. With the 
succours which he received from England, he easi- 
ly dispersed the troops that took part with France. 
A accio and every place of importance were verj 



__r 



2^ MEMOIRS OF [179^ 

soon in Paoli's power. When Bonaparte returned 
into the island, Salicette and La Combe St. Michel, 
the members of the Convention charged to carry 
their decree into execution, had taken refuge at 
Calvi : Bonaparte, in going there to join them, \va3 
exposed to considerable danger arising from hatred, 
and perhaps fear, in a country where custom has 
the force of law, and where, for the purpose of de- 
stroying any man deemed obnoxious, even assE^ssi- 
nation is authorized by custom. With the assist- 
ance of some troops disembarked by the French 
commissioners, Bonaparte attempted to re-enter 
Ajaccio, but in vain ; the arms of the Convention 
had no more power than its decrees. The pro- 
scription of the conquered was the consequence of 
the victory. Bonaparte had signalized himself too 
much to be spared. A decree, excited and signed 
by Paoli, condemned him to perpetual banishment. 
Despoiled of his property and his office, Bonaparte 
embarked with his kindred, who always shared his 
fortune. A frail bark received this future Csesar 
and his family, and conveyed them across the waves^ 
in the prosecution of his high destinies. At that 
period nothing was more deplorable than Bonaparte's 
present prospects ; nothing more uncertain than the 
future. But he felt a persuasion that fortune might 
not always abandon him ; and a vast scene still fay 
open to his views. He was young ; he went to 
France. Probably it was on this occaision that he 
said, " In a revolution, a soldier should never de- 
spair, if he possesses courage and genius." 

Previous to this departure, the Bonaparte family 
had the honour of being threatened with a march 
af the inhabitants of the island ; that is, they were 
vii-s-cked by 12 or 15,000 peasants, who came dowa 



1732.] 



JVAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



21 



from the mountains on Ajaccio, and pillag-ed and 
burnt Nipoleon's family residence, not sparin^^ ei- 
ther the flocks or the vines. Madame, with a few 
faithful friends, wandered for soijie time on the sea- 
shore. Paoli, who had for some time perceived 
this gathering storm, endeavoured to avert it. " Re- 
nounce this opposition," said he to madame ; " it 
"411 prove the ruin of yourself, your family, and for- 
i, jne ;" but madame, l:-ke another Cornelia, heroic- 
lly replied, " that shn, her children, and her rela- 
ives, would 3nly obej two laws ; namely dutj and 






22 MEMOIRS OP [1793 



CHAPTER II. 

Separation of tJie Bonaparte Family — Siege of TmiUfn, — Genei-aU 
Cartatix, Dugonimier and Bonaparte — General O' Hara — 
Bonaparte wounded — Appointed to command the Artillery oj 
the Army of Italv — His Imprisonment and Liberation — Goes 
to Nice — General Dumerhion — Operations against tfie Aiistri- 
X71S and Fiedmontese — Bonaparte displaced by Aubnj, the. 
Commissioner of the Convention — Restored by M. Fonicoubini 
— Quarrel between the Sections and the Convention — Bonaparlt 
employed against them — Anecdote — Marriage of Napoleon vnth 
Madame Beauhamois — His departure for tJie Army of Italy in 
March, 1796 — Addrtss to tlu Soldiers — His Visit to Marseilles. 

Bonaparte and his family, Tiaving left Corsica, 
and disembarked in Provence, found themselves re- 
duced, by their attachment to France, to a state of 
distress similar to that in which a number of French 
emigrants had been placed by a contrary cause. 

Madame Bonaparte lived at Marseilles with her 
daughters, upon the scanty allowance assigned her 
by government in return for the sacrifice she had 
made of all she possessed. Her sons had to con- 
tend with their misfortunes unassisted. Joseph 
and Lucien obtained emph)y in the army adminis- 
tration. Napoleon and Louis engaged in the mili- 
tary service. 

Returning into the corps of artillery, Napoleon 
passed as a first lieutenant in the fourth regiment 
of that corps. A few months after, he rose by the 
right of seniority to the rank of captain in the 
second company of the same corps, then in garri- 
son at Nice. This was in the year 1793, when 
the dreadful event, the execution of Louis X\'T., as- 
tonished even those of the capital, who were foro 



i793.] NAPOLEOxN BONAPAKTF,. 23 

ed to concur in it, and impressed a deg-ree of hor- 
ror uDon the majority of the French in the prov- 
inces 

The proposals made to the inhabitants of Toulop 
by the British admiral Hood, who blockaded that 
port by sea, were opecious in no small Jeg-ree. 
" Declare yourselves," said he, " openly and frankly 
for the monarchy ; hoist the ancient French col 
ours ; disarm your ships of war ; put us in posses 
sion of your forts ; and, in the name of his Britannic 
majesty, I offer you all the succours in my power." 
These terms being accepted, such a number of 
English, Spanish, and Neapolitan troops were landed, 
that it became necessary for the French to assemble 
an army of 30,000 men, before they could compel 
the besieged to evacuate the town and the forts. 

Assisted by the bravery of the French, General 
Cartaux, besides gaining some other advantages^ 
took a position before Toulon ; but he soon felt his 
incapacity to carry on such an important operation 
for any length of time, and General Dugommier, a 
man of superior genius, was called upon to direct 
the siege. Previous to this general's arrival, Bo- 
naparte had been appointed to the command of the 
artillery, and, with a few exceptions, Cartaux placed 
the most unlimited confidence in the young officer 
of artillery, whom he called " Captain Cannon." 

The success of a siege must depend upon the 
artillery, especially where they have to contend 
with artillery. 

Bonaparte not only performed all that might have 
oeen expected of him, but frequently rectified the 
errors of others, and displayed the superiority of 
his genjvs to n ore than one officer, his superior is 



84 



MEMOIRS OF 



[179S 



rank. Preserving his dignity with the representa- 
tives that were sent by the Convention to Toulon, 
as he did with every one else, he trusted that hib 
Belf-confidence would be justified by his successes. 
One of the representatives here having made some 
observaLon upon the position of a battery, " Mind 
your own business," said Bonaparte, " and leave 
mine to me. This battery must remain where it 
is ; I will answer for its effect." 

In action he was at all times both officer and 
Boldier : at the taking of a redoubt, and fighting 
near Marshal Suchet, then a captain, he undertook 
to load a gun at which an artillery maii had just 
been killed, and, making use of the ramrod whilst 
it was warm, he contracted a disease which repro- 
duced itself for a long time under a variety of forms: 
Dut this he oflen recollected as one of the first acta 
of his military career. 

The rank of general of brigade was the reward 
conferred upon Bonaparte for his services at the 
siege of Toulon. 

When Napoleon spoke to Barry O'Meara about 
the siege of Toulon, he observed, that he had made 
General O'Hara prisoner — " I may say," said he, 
" with my own hand. He ran out of the battery, 
and advanced towards us. In advancing, he was 
wounded by the fire of a sergeant, and I, who stood 
at the mouth of the boyau, seized him by the coat, 
and threw him back amongst my own men, thinking 
he was a colonel, as he had two epaulets on. 
While they were taking him to the rear, he cried 
out that he was the commander-in-chief of the Eng- 
Jish. He thought they wero going to massacre 
iim ab there existed a horrible order at that time 



1793.) Napoleon bonaparte. 26 

from the Convention, to give no quarter to the Eng- 
lish. I ran up, and prevented the soldiers from 11' 
treating him. He s.poke very bad French, and, aa 
I saw that he thought they intended to butcher him, 
I did every thing in my power to console him, and 
gave directions that his wound should be immedi- 
ately dressed, and every attention paid to him. He 
afterwards begged of me to give him a statement 
of the manner of his capture, to show it to his gov- 
ernment in his justification. Those blockheads of 
deputies," continued Napoleon, " wanted to attack 
and storm the town first ; but I explained to them 
that it was very strong, and that we should lose 
many men ; that the best way would be to make 
ourselves masters of the forts first, vhich command- 
ed the harbour, and then the English would either 
be taken, or be obliged to burn the greatest part of 
the fleet, and escape. My advice was taken, and 
the English, perceiving what would be the result, 
set fire to the ships, and abandoned the town." 

During this early exhibition of his skill and cour- 
age, Bonaparte attacked a battery occupied by the 
English, which, having charged it several times, at 
length, in order to encourage his men, he jumped 
into, and almost instantaneously received a deep 
bayonet wound in the interior of the left thigh, 
about two inches and a half above the knee. He 
fell backwirds, and was received into the arms of 
Lieutenant Muiron, who safely bore him from the 
scene of action. This wound nearly cost Bonaparte 
the loss of his leg ; but he ever after regarded Mui- 
ron as his brother. 

The simplicity of General Cartaux, whom Bona 
parte was sent to act under, or rather su])ersede, af 
the siege of loulon, was striking. He was, how 

VOL. 1. 3 



26 MEMOIRS OF [1793 

ever, described as a haughty man, covered with 
lace from head to foot, who, upon Bonaparte's arri 
val, asked him what duty he had been sent upon. 
The young officer modestly presenting the letter 
he was intrusted with — " This," said Cartaux, 
twirling his whiskers, " was quite unnecessary ; we 
want no assistance to retake Toulon ; but, however, 
you are welcome, and you may share the glory of 
burning the town to-morrow, without having expe- 
rienced any of the fatigue." 

In all the disputes, and many occurred, between 
Cartaux and Bonaparte, as commandant of artillery, 
the wife of the general was commonly present, and 
uniformly took part with the young officer of artil- 
lery, saying with gTea,i naivete to her husband, "Let 
the young man alone ; he knows more about it than 
you do, for he never asks your advice ; besides, are 
you not the responsible person ? the glory will be 
yours." 

Soon after the retaking of Toulon, Bonaparte ac- 
companied General Dugommier to Marseilles, and 
was with him m company there, when some one, 
struck with his person, asked the general who that 
little bit of an officer was, and where he had picked 
him up ? " That officer's name," replied the gene- 
ral, " is Bonaparte : I picked him up at the siege of 
Toulon, to the successful termination of which he 
eminently contributed ; and ycu will probably see, 
one day, that this little bit of an officer is a greater 
man than any of us." 

Bonaparte, being appointed to the command of 
the artillery, afterwards repaired to the army of 
Italy : there new persecutions awaited him. He 
was confident in his own opinions, but these were 
not conformable to those that had prevailed in th« 



1793.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE 2" 

touncil. After having seized upon the Col Ji Tende, 
Oneglia, and Ormea, in the valley of Tanaro, tha 
army stationary upon the Alps seemed co rest 
Batisfied without extending its conquests, instead 
of a wr of posts, Bonaparte proposed a war of inva- 
sion, ana that the army should precipitate itself up- 
on Piedmont from those mountains which no longei 
afforded it protection. 

This advice, given with confidence, though it was 
afterwards attended with success, was attributed to 
presumption, and the assurance with which Napo- 
leon re.peated it on all occasions, was censured as 
insubordination. Men of mean talents were only 
waiting for an opportunity to get rid of the obser- 
vation of a superior genius. The results of the 
10th of Thermidor offered the occasion that was 
wanted. The connexion between Bonaparte and 
the commissioners sent by the Convention to super 
intend the siege of Toulon, was now found useful 
to the young general. Among these commission- 
ers was the younger Robespierre, who was accused 
of favouring the projects of his brother. Bonaparte 
was suspended from his functions, and imprisoned 
for some time as an accomplice with this commis- 
sioner, whom he obeyed in couimon with the rest 
of the army. Never despairing, Bonaparte, fai 
from renouncing his system, employed himself in 
rendering hi-s plan of a campaign as perfect as pos- 
sible, even when under confinement. In imagina- 
tion, he had already made a descent upon that 
beautiful Lorabardy which he was soon to conquer 
in reality. The duration of this imprisonment was 
not long. The importance of Bonaparte's presence 
vas demons..rated by his absence. Wishing again 
io conquer, the Convention recalled the man wha 



28 MEMOIRS OF [1794 

had already possessed the art of organizing victory,, 
and to whose taierts and excellent combinations 
Sreneral Dumerbion acknowledged he owed his 
success in Italy, when Bonaparte was first sent t'3 
Nice. Tliis was in March, 1794. 

General Dumerbion was an old and brave officer 
who had previously carried on the war between the 
Var and the Roya, and was well acquainted with 
Lhe positions of all the mountains that cover Nice. 
Bonaparte, having visited the advanced posts, and 
reconnoitred the line which the army occupied, 
laid a memorial before General Dumerbion, relating 
to the unfortunate attack of General Brunet, and to 
the method of compelling the enemy to retreat be- 
yond the Upper Alps, by taking possession of the 
Col di Tende. Th'^se suggestions being presented 
to a council, at which the representatives Ricors and 
young Robespierre were sitting, they were agreed 
to unanimously. Smce the taking of Toulon, the 
reputation of Bonai^arte was quite sufficient to in- 
spire confidence in his designs. Still it is evident, 
that, for some time, few of tlie representatives of the 
people knew how to appreciate his merits and char- 
acter. At Nice, whilst general of the artillery, he 
was for a short time put under an arrest by the dep- 
uty Laporte, because he would not allow him to 
employ his artillery horses for the service of the 
post. 

On the 18th of April, 1794, a part of the army 
under Massena, (Diimerbion being confined by the 
gout,) in pursuance of Bonaparte's plan, crossed the 
Roya near Menton and then divided into four col- 
imns : the first marched up the bank of the Roya ; 
Uie second up that of the Nervia ; the third up that 
sf the Taggio; and the fourth moved upon Oneglia 



I794.J NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 29 

The column of Oneglia, upon the heights of St. 
Agatha, fell in with a body of Austrians and Pied- 
tnontese, and defeated them. Brul6, tlie genera, 
of brigade, was killed in the action. The head- 
quarters being- removed to Oneglia, troops were im- 
mediately sent to occupy Loano. From Oneglia 
the French marched to the sources of the Tanaro 
beat the enemy on the heights of Ponte Dinairo, 
possessed themselves of the fortress of Ormea, en- 
tered Garessio, and occupied the road from that 
place to Turin. In the mean while, the movements 
of the other three French columns so alarmed thf 
Piedmontese, that they hastily abandoned all the 
positions which had been stained by so much blood. 
Saorgio was immediately invested, and capitulated ; 
and, on the 7th of May, the Piedmontese troops, 
after a brisk attack, were driven from the Col di 
Tende. In this manner, all the upper regions of 
the Alps fell into the hands of the French. By 
these manoguvres, the army of Italy had gained more 
than sixty pieces of carnon. Saorgio was provi- 
sioned, and abounded with ammunition of every 
kind, being the principal depot of all the Piedmont- 
ese army. In these new positions the French re- 
mained till September, when they marched to meet 
an Austrian force advancing on the Bormida. 

General Bonaparte, having passed the straits of 
the Bormida, proceeded to Chiari, where he fell 
in with 12 or 13,000 Austrians manwuvring on thf 
plain, who no sooner saw the French army than they 
retreated to Dego, where being soon attacked, they 
retired upon Acqui. The French army, having ta 
ken Dego, had now several magazines, and had as- 
certained that there was nothing to fear from tha 
\ustrians. Th\s march, directed by Bonaparte, ha(? 
3* C 



30 MEMOIRS OF [1794 

gpreid consternation through all Italy. The French 
line then extended to Bardmetto and the Col d'. 
Tende, passing by Septipani, Melagi o, and iSl, 
.lames. 

The remainder of the year 1794 -was spent in 
putting all these positions in a proper state of de- 
fence, especially Vado. The knowledge that Na- 
poleon acquired, under all these circumstances, be- 
came extremely useful to him in 1796, when ue 
was appointed commander-in-chief. 

But the successes and advantages which Bona- 
parte had procured for the republic whilst only gen- 
eral of artillery in the army of Italy, did not seem 
to give satisfaction to the party that succeeded in 
the Convention after the fall of Robespierre. Their 
commissioner, Aubry, was sent into the departments 
to purify the armies of terrorists, and men without 
capacity; and he boasted of having excluded no 
less than 12,000 officers from the fourteen armies. 
Aubry, with a view of mortifying a man vi'hom he 
dared not to dismiss from the service, insisted on 
Bonaparte's removal from Italy to the army of the 
west in La Vendue. Bonaparte refused to accept 
of this appointment, and came to Paris. His ex- 
postulation with Aubry on this occasion, which oc- 
curred in May, 1795, is said to have formed a per- 
fect scene. Bonaparte insisted vehemently, because 
he had facts to bear him odt. Aubry was bitter and 
obstinate, because he was invested with power. Na- 
poleon, he said, was too young, being then but 
twenty-five years of age ; who answered tliat a sol- 
dier soon grew old on the field of battle, in the 
event, he was obliged to pass a long period in i 
state of pailful inactiviti'. 



1795.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 31 

During this interval, his pecuniary resources were 
exhausted, in a great meas"'*e, by the depreciation 
of the paper money : friendship, howe\ er, came tc 
his aid : Marmont never quitted him ; Junot also 
assisted him, and assured him that the state of in 
action to which he had been reduced oould not be 
of any long continuance. 

It is not surprising that Bonaparte, about O-'s 
time, indulged an idea of quitting France, and t i- 
gaging in the service of the Turks, then at war 
with Austria. But Aubry having been in his turn 
displaced, and his office supplied by M. Pontcou- 
lant, he not only re-commissioned Bonaparte, but 
retained him in Paris to assist the labours of the 
military council, to whom Bonaparte submitted the 
stupendous plan of his Italian campaign for 1796, 
which he afterwards carried into execution. This 
plan might have been taken for a real report of op- 
erations actually performed., rather than an outline 
of such as had only been projected: such was the 
precision with which every measure afterward.3 
adopted had been previously foreseen. 

The quarrel between the Convention and the 48 
sections of Paris, which eventfully placed Bona- 
parte in a more distinguished situation than ever he 
had held before, originated in their passing the two 
obnoxious laws of the 5th and 13th of Fructidor, 
(22d and 30th of August,) 1795. These decrees 
expressed, that two triirds of the members compos- 
ing the Convention should be re-elected for the 
new legislature. The people, especially the Paris- 
ians, could ^aot endure the idea of men re-electing 
themselves ; as, upon the principle they had acted for 
two years, they might continue for life, and thuf 
tsiablish a system inf nitely more odious than abso^ 



52 



MEMOIRS OP 



[1795 



lute monarchy. Besides, the Conveniwon was just- 
ly represented as a body of tyrants and assassinsj 
purged indeed of the most infamous monsters, such 
as Robespierre and others, yet still continuing the 
murderers of the 2d of September, the conspira- 
tors of the 31st of May, the applauders of the as- 
sassination of the Gironde party, &c. 

This Convention, on Sunday, October 4, declar- 
ed their intentions of having recourse to arms by a 
proclamation, and, after the lapse of a few hours, 
Napoleon Bonaparte, by accepting an appointment as 
second in command under M. Barras, had pledged 
himself to support their measures of coercion. The 
plea set up in justification of this conduct by Napo- 
leon and his friends, rests upon the circumstance 
" that the Convention was successively torn by fac- 
tions, which were never able to acquire any stabili- 
ty, but varied their principles almost every month. 
The interior of the republic was afflicted by a hor- 
rible system of reaction : the national domains 
could no longer find purchasers ; the assignat3 
fell every day, the armies were without money, be 
ing till then only supplied by requisitions and the 
maximum ; the magazines were also empty, and the 
soldier was no longer sure of bread. Even the re- 
cruiting had ceased, though the armies continued 
to gain great advantages, because they were more 
numerous than ever. The party of the Bourbong 
were every day increasing. Pichegru, the first 
general of the republic, had been gained over. All 
parties were tired of the Convention, and it was 
tired of itself. It had promised the nation a con- 
Etitution, and it perceived, at length, that the safety 
^f that, and its own also, depended on the fulfil- 
ment of the expectations which hs.d been raisf d.* 



1795 j NAPOLEON BONAPARTib. 33 

On the '25ih. of June, 1795, it aclop*:ed he coi.'sti 
tntion known under the title of that of the yea. 
III. The government was intrusted to five per- 
sons, under the name of the Directory ; the leg- 
vslature to two councils, called the Council of Five 
Hundred, and the Council of the Ancients. 

It was now a prevalent opinion, that the fall of 
,ne constitution of 1794 was to be attributed to 
that law of the Constituent Assembly which ex 
eluded its members from the legislature. The roy- 
alists, in particular, found all their arrangements 
baffled ; but what brought Napoleon Bonaparte in- 
to more notice than ever was, the rejection of the 
additional laws by the forty-eight sections of Paris, 
who assembled, and, forming as many tribunes, these 
were filled by the most violent orators, Laharpe, 
Serizi, Lacretelle the younger, Vaublanc, &c. 

The national guard, who were in the interest ol 
the sections, consisted of upwards of forty thou- 
sand men. The sections appeared one after anoth- 
er at the bar of the Convention, warmly expressing 
their sentiments. The Convention, it is said, be- 
lieved that this commotion in the capital was like 
those riots so common in London, and of which in- 
stances frequently happened in Rome at the time 
of the Comitia. 

On the 12th of VendemairOi (3d October, 1795,; 
pt seven or eight in the evening. General Menou, 
accompanied by the representatives of the people 
" who were commissioners to the army of the inte- 
rior, proceeded with a numerous body of troops to 
the place of the meeting of the section Lepelle 
tier, but, after spending an hour in useless negotia- 
tions!, withdrew by a kind of capitulation, without 
•■filing dispersed or disarmed the meeting. The 



34 



MEMOIRS OP 



[1790 



Bection, thus triumphant, declared itself permanent; 
but Menou was deprived of his command 

General Bonaparte was at the theatre Feydeau, 
when some of his friends informed him of the sin 
gular events that were passing. Seeing- the con 
ventional troops thus repulsed, he hastened to their 
assembly, and found them in the greatest agitatioa 
The representatives sent with Menou, to exculpate 
themselves, accused him of treason, and he was 
put under arrest. To repair this failure, every rep- 
resentative recommended the general who possess- 
ed his confidence. The members of the Commit- 
tee of Public Safety proposed Napoleon, who being 
absent, messengers were sent after him into the 
city. Napoleon, who had heard of all that had 
been said, and, besides, knew what was in agitation, 
deliberated with himself more than half an hour, on 
the course most eligible for him to pursue. After 
weighing the odium which might attach to him on 
account of his taking part against the people in be- 
half of the Convention, he judiciously concluded, 
that if that shouid sink, all the numerous victories, 
and all the blood that had been shed, would be lost. 
He made up his mind, went to the committee, 
and was appointed general-in-chief. Upon consult- 
ing Menou, he learned that the army consisted of 
only five thousand soldiers, of all descriptions, with 
forty pieces of cannon then at Sablons, guarded by 
only fifteen men. This was an hour after midnight, 
when Napoleon despatched Murat, then a major of 
the 21st light horse, to bring this artillery to the 
garden of the Tuilleries. One moment longer 
would have been too late ; a column of the section 
nf iepelletier, on the march to seize those guna 



i'*'95 ] NAPOLtON BONAPARTL. 3S 

was only prevented by the timely arrival of these 
cavalry. 

On the next morning, from six to nine, Napo\t»- 
on vis-ited all the posts, and placed this artillery at 
the head of the Pont Louis XVI., the Pont Royal, the 
Rue de Rohan, the Pont Tournant, &c. All the 
matches were lighted, and the whole of the little 
army was distributed at the different posts, or in 
reserve in the garden, and the Place Carrousel, 
in the mean while the generale was beat through 
Paris, and the national guards formed at all the de- 
bouches, and they were even so insolent as to come 
and beat the generale on the Cairousel and the 
Place Louis XV. The danger was imminent, and mat- 
ters on the 13th of Vendemaire grew worse and 
worse ; the Convention had been summoned to dis- 
miss the troops which threatened the people, and 
to disarm the terrorists. The Tuilleries was al- 
ready strictly blockaded, and at length, at a quarter 
after four, some musket shots were discharged from 
the Hotel de Noailles, wdiere the sectionaries had 
introduced themselves ; the balls reached the steps 
)f the Tuilleries., About a hundred men attempt- 
ed to make a stand at the Theatre de la Repnb- 
lique, but a few shells from the howitzers dislodged 
them, and at six o'clock all was over. 

Some assemblages still continued on the 14th in 
the section Lepelletier, but they were soon dispers- 
ed. In the evening order was completely restored, 
owing to the promptitude of General Bonaparie's 
measures, and Paris was onco more perfectly tran- 
quil. 

It was after this great event, when the officers 
of the army of the interior ^rere presented in a body 
iothc Coiivention, that the members, by acclama- 



36 



MEMOIRS Of 



J19h 



tion, appointed Bonaparte general-in-chief of th6 
army. 

General Menou was delivered over to a counci 
of war, and would certainly have suifered death, 
had not Bonaparte, with his usual address, insisted 
that the three representatives sent with him de- 
served the same punishment. — Lafond was the only 
one executed ; he had evinced great courage ; the 
head of his column on the Pont Royal formed again 
three times under the fire of grape-shot, before it 
entirely gave way. 

Napoleon now, as commander-in-chief of the 
army of the interior, had to re-organize the nation- 
al guard, an object of the highest importance, as it 
then contained no less than 104 battalions. At the 
same time he formed the guard of the Directory, 
and re-organized that of the legislative body. 

It was only during a few months that Napoleon 
commanded the army of the interior, and these 
were replete with difficulties and embarrassments. 
The members of the new government were not only 
divided amongst themselves, but often in opposition 
to the councils ; there was stilJ a ferment amongst 
the subdued sectionaries ; the Jacobins assembled 
again, under the name of the Society of the Pan- 
theon, and the agents of royalty formed a power- 
ful party ; the finances and paper money were in 
discredit ; the troops were discontented ; and a fam- 
ine afflicted the capital to such a degree, that ten 
or twelve times the supply of provisions failed en-, 
tirely. Thus no ordinary degree of activity and 
address was required to maintain tranquillity in tha 
ttapital against such a combination of calamities. 

In fact, Napoleon had frequent occasion to ha 



17 95. J NAPOLEON BONAPARTP 37 

rangue in the markets, the streets, the sections and 
fauxbourgs. 

One day, when the usual distribution of bread at 
the bakers' shops had not taken place, and while 
Napoleon was parading- about with a part of his 
staff, he was alarmingly pressed jpon by the crowd. 
A woman of a monstrous robust appearance made 
herself eminently conspicuous by her menacing ges- 
tures and exclamations. « Those fine epauleted fel- 
lows, said she, pointing to the officers, " laugh at 
our distress : so long as they can eat and grow fat, 
they care not if the poor die of hunger." Napoleon 
turned to her, and said, « Good woman, look at me ; 
which is fattest, you or I ?" He was then so thin, 
that he described himself as a slip of parchment. 
A general burst of laughter disarmed the fury of 
the populace, and the party continued their round. 

The marriage of Napoleon with Madame Beau- 
harnois, which took place about this time, has been 
imputed to causes not only derogatory to the high 
spirit which he always possessed, but to others that 
seem quite unnecessary. In regard to the mar- 
riage between Napoleon and Josephine, it seems 
an intimacy had been cemented some considerable 
time before his new appointment. 

During the general disarming of the sections of 
Paris, a youth of ten or twelve years of age pre- 
sented himself before the staff, entreating Bona- 
parte to give orders for restoring to him the sword 
of his father, who had been a general of the re- 
public. This youth was Eugene Beauharnois, af- 
terwards viceroy of Ita'y. Napoleon, moved by 
the nature of his request, and by his juvenile grace, 
granted his petition ; when, on beholding his father'^ 
sword, young Eugene burst into tears. The genp- 

voi>, I. 4 



38 



MEMOIRS OF 



[1796 



ral was touched at his sensibility, and behaved s?. 
kindly to him, that Madame Beauharnois thouglij! 
herself obliged to wait en him next day, to thank 
him for his cttention. ISapoleon, a short time af- 
terwards, returned her visit. Every one ki.ew 
the extraordinary grace of the Empress Josephine, 
her sweet and attractive manners. The acquaint 
ance soon became intimate and tender, and it was 
not lo^g- before they were married. 

Whilst Napoleon had been thus employed in 
Paris, the command of the army of Italy had been 
given to Kellerman, an officer of much personal 
bravery, but who made such unskilful dispositions, 
that, by the end of June, 1795, the army had lost 
the .positions of Vado, St. James, and Bardinetto. 
General Kellerman even talked of evacuating the 
Genoese coast, and so alarmed the Committee of 
Public Safety, that they convened all the repre- 
sentatives who had been in Italy, in order to con- 
sult them. They justly described Napoleon as per- 
fectly acquainted with the localities of the country, 
and, being summoned by the commiUee, he convinc- 
ed them, that, to maintain the line of the French 
army, not more than half their number was required. 
The conquest of Italy notwithstanding all these 
unpromising circumstances, seemed to have been 
reserved for Napoleon Bonaparte. 

In February, 1796, the army of Italy might bo 
considered as having no leader ! General Scherer 
had asked for money to pay his troops ; for horses 
to replace those that had died for want of food ; and 
government could give him neither one nor the 
other ; but returning evasive answers and empty 
promises, he declared mat, if any further delay 
oofc place, he should be com^«iled to evacuaJe th€ 



17y6.J NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. .Sfl 

Gci.^iese territory, return to the Roy a, and perhaps 
repass the Var. The Directory then resolved to 
supersede Scherer, and Napoleon was fortunately 
chosen as the only man capable of extricating them 
from the embarrassing situation into which they had 
sunk. He accordingly set out for Nice a seconc 
time. 

Napoleon was now freed from that restraint he 
had long felt in the capital. His genius required 
a theatre of much larger extent, and victories less 
painful, though they might be obtained with greater 
difficulty. His departure from Paris, to commence 
his celebrated Italian campaign of 1796, took place 
on the 1st of Germinal, or the 21st of March. He 
was the only person who was not astonished at his 
good fortune. When a friend, who was congratu- 
lating him upon this appointment, testified some sur- 
prise at his youth, he replied, " I shall return old." 

The full tide of Napoleon's glory set in from 
this Italian campaign. 

The French army of Italy was about 81,000 
strong, whilst nearly three times their number were 
opposed to them, and besides had 200 pieces of 
cannon. The character of the French troopa 
was excellent ; but their cavalry was wretchedly 
mounted, and they were equally deficient in artil- 
lery. There were no means of transporting stores 
of any kind from the arsenals ; all the draught- 
horses had perished through want. The penury 
of the French finances was so great, that the 
eiTorts of government could only furnish 2000 
Louis in specie to the military chest. An order 
'vas issued for all the general officers to receive 
foui Louis apiece, by way of outfit. The supply 
of brc 4 was uncertain ; that of meat had long 



MEMOIRS OF 



[17liG 



ceased. For means of conveyance there remained 
only two hundred mules. It was impossible to 
think of transporting more than twelve pieces of 
cannon. Bonaparte, however, put the army in mo- 
tion with the following address : — " Soldiers ! you 
are naked, ill-fed : much is due to us ; there is 
nothing to pay us with. The patience and courage 
you have shown in the midst of these rocks are 
admirable ; but they win you no glory. I come to 
icad you into the most fertile plains in the world : 
rich provinces, great cities, will be in your power. 
There you will have wealth, honour, and glory. 
Soldiers of Italy ! can your courage fail ?" — These 
words were addressed to his troops on the 29th of 
March. 

On his way to the head-quarters of this army, he 
stopped thirty-six hours at Marseilles, to visit hiii 



1796.1 NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



CHAPTER III. 

B map trie's Plan — His personal Ajpearance — Battle cf Monte 
notte MiUesimo — Dego — Anecdotes — Affair of Fombio —Deail 
of L% Harpe — Bridge of Lodi. 

Bonaparte's plan had been shown to several 
generals by the Committee of Public Safety. Ber- 
thier, who from his experience had acquired con- 
siderable respect, bestowed very high eulogiuma 
upon it ; but added, that to carry it into execution 
would require fifty thousand men more. Boh*i- 
parte, however, undertook to open this campaign 
with the trivial re-enforcement of six thousand mei' 
from the army of the Pyrenees. From the army 
of the Alps he received no succour till Piedmont 
had been conquered ; and, Italy being subdued, he 
was on his march to Carinthia, when he was joined 
by the division under Bernadotte, upon the borders 
of the Tagliamento.' The first obstacles Bona- 
parte had to contend with, arose from his own 
army. 

Bonaparte, at all times more imposing by his atti- 
tude than by his stature, with a shape extremely 
slender, now laboured under the disadvantage of a 
pale and meager visage ; and the expression of his 
countenance was lost beneath his long hair whiten- 
ed by the use of powder. Besides, he by no means 
eat well on horseback, and when he rode along the 
ranks, the soldiers complained that a bi>v had been 
isent to command them. 
4* 



12 



MEMOIRS OP 



[17U0. 



The French army exceeded fifty-six thousand 
men. Napoleon hastened the opening of the cam- 
paign, though without magazines, ammunition, or a 
military chest. 

On the 29th oi March, only thirty-five thousand 
men took the field with Bonaparte. 

A battle ensued, April 9th ; and fifteen hundrec 
killed, 2000 wounded, and the taking of many 
colours, were the fruits of this victory, which ena- 
bled the French to remove their head-quarters to 
Carcara. 

On the 14th, another battle was fought, in which 
the Austrians lost 10,000 killed and prisoners. 
Twenty-two pieces of cannon and fifteen standards 
were the fruits of this victory. The French now 
found, on the summit of the Alps, every species of 
ammunition, and other objects which the celerity ol 
their march had prevented them from bringing 
Thus Bonaparte increased his forces by the same 
operations that diminished those of the enemy. 

Before Bonaparte commenced this campaign of 
1796, he had promised to write to M. Fay poult, 
French minister at Genoa. Fifteen days had elapsed, 
and no letter arrived, though hostilities had com- 
menced some time. One morning, however, about 
five o'clock, a domestic entered M. Faypoult's 
chamber in a dreadful fright, telUng liim to rise, aa 
Jie Austrians, he said, were in the city. The minis- 
ter iroagined that it was probable that the enemy, 
after gaining some great success, might have been 
so elated with it, that it might have induced him to 
break through all measures, and to take possessior 
of Genoa, at least provisionally. He dressed ir 
haste, when the first secretary of the legation, en 
Bering, confirmed what the domestic had said before 



1796.J 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



4d 



Determined to protest against this violation of the 
rights of nations, the two diplomatists proceeded 
to the hall of audience without delay, when they 
saw an Austrian general juet alighting from his 
horse, accompanied by a body of cavalry and a 
numerous staff. Before M. Faypoult had time to 
express himself, the Austrian general delivered him 
a letter, which the emotions he experienced would 
scarcely permit hini to open. This letter was from 
Bonaparte. Faithful to his promise, it contained an 
account of his victories at Montenotte and Millesi- 
mo, inviting him to provide accommodations for 
General Provera, who, instead of being a conqueror, 
as M. Faypoult supposed, was now a prisoner. 

The Directory, in their despatches to Bonaparte 
expressed themselves thus : " To-day, general, re- 
ceive the tribute of national gratitude." 

Shut up in his capital with the wreck of an army 
that had been beaten every time they fought, Victoi 
Amedeus the Third appeared resolved to sustain a 
siege. This prince, who had made several cam- 
paigns with his father, not much in favour of tJie 
French, judging of the present by the past, did not 
at first suppose that a petit caporal, a little republi- 
can corporal, could beat the old generals of kings : 
and he could not imagine why General Beaulieu, 
who had promised him never to pull off his boots till 
he came to Lyons, should have taken quite a con- 
trary route. At length, roused from his incredulity 
'jy the murmurs of the public, and reposing confi- 
ience in himself in proportion as he withdrew ii 
from others, " Ah '." said he, pulling up his small 
clothes — " if I go ; if I go,''^ — every time he learnl 
the news of a new defeat. Bonaparte, how e\"er 
saved J^ra the trouble of gcmg. 



M MEM^UIS OF ri79f 

Order being restored, the army advanced in pur- 
suit of victories. 

At this time some of the inhabitants of Gono-o, 
seeing the Austrians descending from the moun- 
tains, came out of the city to inquire the cause of 
these movements. Oie among them questioned 
two travellers that had stopped near a broken car- 
riage, saying, " Cannot you tell us what all this sig- 
nifies ?" — " It signifies," replied an elderly gentle- 
man, " that a man of seventy-four years of age has 
been duped by a young man of twenty-six." 

Bonaparte's new system of military movements 
excited universal attention. This campaign wag 
scarcely opened, when Lombardy was inundated 
with troops in every direction, and the French ap- 
proached Mantua pele mele with the enemy. Napo- 
leon, when in the vicinity of Pizzighitone, saw a tall 
German colonel, a prisoner, and, questioning him, 
without being known, as to how affairs were going 
on, was told, "very badly. I know how it will 
end," said he. 

The appellation of petit caporal, as applied to 
Bonaparte, has also been mentioned; but an anec- 
dote confirming this has been related by Napoleon 
himself. When he commanded near the Col di 
Tende, the army was obliged to pass over a narrow 
bridge : he gave directions that no women should 
be allowed to accompany it, as the service was a 
most difficult one, and required the troops to be con- 
tinually on the alert. To enforce this order, he 
placed two captains on the bridge, with instructims, 
on pain of death, not to permit a woman to pass. 
He afterwards went to the bridge himself, to 8S0 



t796.j NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 45 

/hat these orders were obeyed, where he fo md a 
crowd of women assembled, who, as soon as they 
perceived him, began to revile him, bawling out 
" Oh then, petit caporal, is it you who have given 
orders not to let us pass ?" — After each battle, the 
oldest soldiers used to hold a council, and confer a 
new rank on their young general, who, when he 
made his appearance in the camp, was received by 
tlie veterans, and saluted by his new title. They 
made Bonaparte a corporal at Lodi, and a sergeant at 
Castiglione ; and hence the surname o^ petit caporal^ 
which for a long time was applied to him by the 
soldiers. 

Although Bonaparte had thus defeated two ar- 
mies, and detached one of the kings from the 
coalition against France, he could not allow any 
respite to his troops. 

Notwithstanding his defeats, Beaulieu left Pied- 
mont with 30,000 men, including 4000 cavalry. 
This army was soon increased by re-enforcementa 
from the Tyrol. Bonaparte in the interim, avaOing 
himself of the treaty of Cherasco, observing, by 
this means, that "one wing of the enemy's army 
gave him time to beat the other," pursued Beaulieu. 

Beaulieu, disconcerted by Bonaparte's tactics, 
endeavoured to maintain himself in Piedmont by 
acts of perfidy — by seizing of Alexandria, Tortone, 
and Valenza, in contempt of the alliance which ex- 
isted between the emperor his master and the king 
of Sardinia. 

After having indulged Beaulieu's error by false 
movements, Bonaparte suddenly advanced by a 
Carced march to Castello San Giovani with thre^ 
thousand grenadiers and fifteen hundred horse. H? 

D 



i6 MEMOIRS OF lll'Jb 

arrived here on the 6th of May, at eleven at night, 
and at seven in the morning he was at Plaisanee. 

On the 8th, at noon, learning that an enemy's 
division was not far off, he marched towards Foin- 
bio, where he found them most advantageously in- 
trenched in a position defended by twenty pieces of 
cannon. The enemy resisted two hours ; bi t was 
then obliged to retire towards the Adda, after hav- 
ing lost a number of men and horses, and the 
greatest part of their baggage. 

The night following the glorious day of Pombio 
was distinguished by a fatal event. Beaulieu, hav- 
ing received intelligence of the defeat of his troops 
at that place, marched under favour of the night to 
Codogno, with the view of surprising a French 
division that occupied that place. He arrived there 
about two in the morning : he had already over- 
thrown the advanced posts, when General La 
Harpe, having mounted his horse on the first alarm, 
presented himself, and restored order. His escort 
on his return, was composed of hussars, who, owing 
to the darkness of the night, were mistaken for the 
enemy's hulans, and received a volley, which killed 
La Harpe ! Bonaparte, in announcing his death, 
traced his eulogium in a few words : " The repub- 
lic," said he, "has lost a man who was devoted to 
Its interests ; the army one of its best generals 
and every soldier a companion." 

Bonaparte hastened to pursue the enemy to Lodi 
on the river Adaa, where General Beaulieu ha^ 
collected his fosces. On the approach of the 
French, the Imperialists abandoned the town of 
Lodi, with such precipitancy, that they had nQi 
time to destroy the bridge. 



''796. J NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 41 

It was defended by ten thousand men, and thirty 
pieces of cannon. No consideration could resist 
the impetuosity of the soldiers, or their leaders; 
for, on the lOih of May, 1796, four thousand grena- 
diers being formed into a solid column, made a sud- 
den charg-e, and had proceeded six hundred feet, 
exactly half the length of the bridge, when they 
became exposed to such an incessant shower of 
grape-shot, that their foremost ranks were cm rely 
swept away ; and the troops who had hitherto ad- 
vanced at a quick pace, with bent heads and extend- 
ed bayonets, were staggered, and began to hesitate. 
At this critical moment, the Generals Berthier, 
Massena, Cervoni, and D'Allemagne, starting from 
the ranks, invited the grenadiers to renew the at- 
tack, while Bonaparte in person, seizing a standard, 
placed himself at their head. Animated to the 
highest degree of enthusiasm by such an example, 
the troops rushed by their generals with resistlesi 
hnpetuosity amidjt the cries of " live la Repub- 



48 MEMOIRS OP [1796 



CHAPTER IV. 

V&nsltmoition at Miiori — Public Entry of Bonaparte-^ Ti eaty of 
Cherasco, between the King of Sardinia and the Dv'ectory — 
Reiientie derived f7-om. Italy — Anecdote — Bonaparte!' s Intercorarsi 
with the Learned at Miian — Insurrections at Pavia, ^c. — An- 
ecdotes — Narrow Escapes of Bonaparte — Treaty between France 
and Naples — Negotiations with the Pope — Alarm at Rome — 
Seizure of Leghorn — Bonaparte entertained by the Grand 
Duke of Tuscany — Revolution at Genoa — Anecdote — Beaulieu 
succeeded by Wunnser — Perilous Situation of the French 
Army — General Junot — Lonado — Stratagem — Battles of Cos- 
tiglione and Bassano — The Dog and his dead Master, 

The uninterrupted successes of BonapB.rte had 
tlirown Milan into a state of inquietude that was 
eoon converted into terror. The nobility, the clergy, 
the administration, and even the citizens, had neg- 
lected nothing" that could stimulate the courage oi 

to to 

the populace. Colours had been distributed, pro- 
cessions ordered, rewards promised ; and, by the aid 
")f voluntary contributions, the nobles, persons in 
office, and the citizens, had provided a fund for the 
support of the widows and orphans of those who 
might fall in the defence of their country ; and 
whilst the ladies went about collecting, and the 
soldiers were fighting, the priests invoked the bless- 
ings of Heaven. 

When the news arrived at Milan of the passage 
of the Po, hope was converted into dismay ; the 
battle cf Lodi was followed by despair. The Arch- 
duke's family abandoned Milan in the greatest pre- 



l796.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 41 

Dipitation: tlie court hastened tor follow this examp??. 
Such was the state of the public feeling, when the 
army presented themselves at the gates on the 14th 
of May, 1796. 

General Bonaparte, who followed close after Mas- 
sena, made his public entry into the capital of Lom- 
bardy on the next day. He had received the keys 
of the city from a deputation sent to Marignan. 
Count Melzi, at the head of the nobles, came to 
meet him as far as Melezuolo. At the Roman gate 
of Milan, Bonaparte found an immense population, 
and the civic guard formed in a double line to re- 
ceive him. Bonaparte marched in the midst of the 
grenadiers of Lodi, among whom were some gene- 
rals. Enthusiasm was at its height : military sym- 
phonies, executed by the Milanese and French musi- 
cians, were mixed with the acclamations of tho 
people during this triumphant march to the palace 
of the archduke, where a splendid banquet was 
prepared. The fete was terminated by a brilliant 
ball, in which the ladies of Milan were dressed ac 
cording to the French mode. 

But, besides seizing the money in the military 
chest, a contribution of twenty millions was impos- 
ed upon Milan, to alleviate which, it was agreed 
that the silver used in the churches should be melt- 
'id down, and placed to the account. It was noj 
'ill this epoch that the army began to receive pay 
•n money. On the same day that Bonaparte entcr- 
f^d Milan, the treaty with the king of Ssriixiiia and 
^he Directory was signed at Faris. 

From this period the army of Italy was no long- 
er a burthen, but became a source of revenue to 
Prance, and assisted in paying other armies. Six 
weeks after the opening of this campaign, besides 

vol., I. 5 



30 



MEMOIRS OF 



[1796 



ten millions placed at the disposal of tie Directory 
Bonaparte had sent upwards of 200,000 francs to 
the army of the Alps, and a millim to the army of 
the Rhine. 

The Directory, under the idea that Bonaparte 
had till then pursued his own plans, thought it was 
now the proper time for him to adopt theirs : they 
wanted to divert him from pursuing the route to 
Germany, which he had opened by the battle of 
liodi ; to employ Kellerman in his place, and send 
him mto the south of Italy. . He offered to give up 
the command, and they desisted from the prosecu 
tion of their purpose. In his apology, he observed, 
that he believed it was better to have one bad gen- 
eral than two good ones. One day he had occa- 
sion to complain to Berthier, that the measures pre- 
scribed for provisioning the army had not been fol- 
lowed. " That," said Berthier, " is astonishing ; 
however, I have given my orders for this purpose." 
— " What do you call your orders ?" replied Bona- 
parte, briskly. " Here is only one man who has 
any right to give orders, and that is myself ; it is 
the business of ♦^he rest to obey : and so, to begin 
with you, sir, mount your horse, and see that my or 
ders are obeyed." 

While Bonaparte was at Milan, the celebrated 
Oriani paid a visit to him. On entering, the astron- 
omer was astonished, and unable to return an an- 
swer to the general's questions ; but, recovering 
from his surprise, he said, " Excuse me — this is the 
Srst time I have ever entered these superb apart- 
ments ; my eyes are not accustomed," &c. — thus 
pronouncing a severe criticism on the governn.o'i^ 
')f the arc hduke. 



1796.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 5^ 

By wrnir g to Oriani, Bonaparte seemod to com 
municate his sentin:ents to a'.l the learned of Italy 
" In Milan," he said, " the learned did not enjoy the 
consideration to which they were entitled. Retir- 
ed in their closets, they thought themselves happy 
.f kings and priests did them no harm. 

According to each treaty, subsequent to the con- 
quest of Piedmont, that of Cherasco excepted, a spe- 
cial article was introduced, conferring upon the 
French the right of choosing the best pieces of 
painting, sculpture, &c. in the public collections, 
and of sending them to France. 

It was not without regret that Italy ceded these 
objects of its worship, these pledges of her past 
glory. To ransom a single painting, that of St. Je- 
rome, the prince of Parma offered a million, which 
his people would have had to pay. It was at Ven- 
ice and Rome that the museum of Paris reaped 
the richest harvest. 

After having employed eight days in providing 
for the army, and in forming a provisional govern- 
ment for Lombardy, Bonaparte left Milan, and a 
sufficient number of troops to blockade the Austri- 
ans in the citadel. 

Scarcely had the French left Milan, apparently 
with the same testimonies of affection on the part 
of the people as they first received, when General 
Despinoy, observing that mobs were assembling in 
Jie suburbs of the city on the side of Pavia, or- 
dered a party of troops to march thither, whom the 
rebels attempted to disarm; but, the detachment 
having wounded and taken some of them, the rest 
took flif bt. The tocsin was sounded m the coun- 
try ; the priests and nobles excited the massacre of 
^te French commissaries. 



52 MEMOIRS OF ' [1796 

A great conspiracy, m fact, seemed k) h we been 
forming all through L.^mbardy, which was tmally 
overthrown. In Pavia, a similar insurrection waa 
quelled. If the blood of a single Frenchman Itad 
been shed, the general had resolved to raise on the 
ruins of Pavia a column, on which these words 
were to be inscribed : " Here the City of Pavia 
stood." He ordered the municipality to be shot, 
and two hundred hostages to be arrested, and sent 
immediately to France. 

On the 31st of May, at day-break, the French 
army arrived at Rivoli, but the enemy had alreat y 
passed the Adige, and destroyed most of the bridges. 
In this affair they lost 1500 men and 500 horses. 
Prince Cuto, general of the Neapolitan cavalry 
was among the number of prisoners. Thus the 
Austrians were driven out of Italy, and the French 
advanced posts reached the German mountains. 

The occupation of Verona, which contains three 
bridges over the Adda, was of the highest import- 
ance to Bonaparte. Massena entered this city on 
the 3d of June, which had been for some time the 
refuge of Louis Stanislaus, the brother of Louia 
XVI. 

After the passage of the Mincio, and whilst Na- 
poleon was pursuing the enemy in every direction, 
he entered a castle on the left bank of the river. 
He was troubled with the head-ache, and bathed 
his feet. In the mean while a large detachment of 
the enemy arrived before the castle in great confu- 
sion. Napoleon was there, and only a few ner- 
8ons v/ith him ; the sentinel on duty at the gatp had 
just time to close it, and cry out, " To arms I'*" Aa 
"^aistance wruld have been useless. Napoleon wm 



1796.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 53 

obliged to escape through the back gates of the 
garden, with but one boot on. 

In the same campaign, Napoleon incurred anoth- 
er near chance of being taken prisoner. Wurm- 
ser, who had been compelled to throw himself into 
Mantua, and was debouching suddenly on an open 
plain, learned from an old woman, that, only some 
moments before, the French general, with but a few 
followers, had stopped at her door, and that he had 
fled at the sight of the Austrians. Wurmser in> 
mediately despatched parties of cavalry in all di- 
rections, to whom he gave orders, that, if they came 
up with Napoleon, he should not be killed or harm- 
ed in any way. His destiny and the swiftness of 
his horse saved him. 

Another anecdote is related of Bonaparte, when 
upon the point of commencing one of his great bat- 
tles in Italy. As he was disposing his troops in 
the order of attack, a light dragoon, issuing forth 
from the ranks, requested of the general a few min- 
utes' private conversation, with which Napoleon ac- 
quiesced, when the soldier thus addressed him : — - 
" General, if you proceed to adopt such and such 
measures, the enemy must be defeated." 

" Wretched man !" exclaimed Bonaparte, " hold 
your tongue ; you will not, sure, betray my secret !" 
at the same time placing his hand before the mouth 
of the dragoon. 

The simple fact is, that the soldier in question 
was possessed of an inherent military capacity, and 
appreciated every arrangement necessary to ensure 
victory. The battle terminating in favour of Na- 
poleon, he issued orders that the poor fellow should 
be conducted to his presence ; but all search aftei 
aim proved fruitless ; he ivaa no whe "e to be found 
5* 



[i79ft 

After the affair of Borghetto, Beauliea lost m. 
time in passing the Adige, not to quit Italy, but to 
approach Mantua. On the 4th of June, Massena, 
who had left Peschiera, was master of the faux- 
bourg and of the tower of Cheriale, after driving 
liie enemy into Mantua. A drummer of twelve 
years of age distinguished himself by climbing up 
this tower in the midst of musketry and grape-shot, 
and opening the door to the French. On the same 
day, Bonaparte, who had advanced to La Favourite, 
a pleasure-house belonging to the dukes of Man- 
tua, caused the fauxbourg of St. George to be at- 
tacked by General Serrurier, who seized the tete- 
du-pont. 

Bonaparte was now disposed to use the relaxa- 
tion afforded him by the Austrians, in putting a stop 
to the insurrections which had been gathering 'n 
his rear. The secondary powers were disposed to 
follow the example of the king of Sardinia. Na- 
ples treated on the 7th of June. An armistice de- 
prived the Austrian army of two thousand five bun- 
dled cavalry, and the English fleet of five ships of 
the line, and several frigates. This was signed by 
Prince Pignatelli Belmont, on the part of the king 
of Naples. A bull issued by the pope disavowed the 
fanatics who, under the pretext of religion, foment- 
ed a civil war in France ; in fact, the pope himself 
entered into negotiations with the excommunicated. 
Bonaparte, nevertheless, pursued the course of hw 
operations against Rome. Whilst he took posses- 
sion of Ferrara, Augereau occupied Bologna, and 
Adjutant-General Vignolle seized upon the castle of 
Urbino. The popish garrisons in all these placea 
surrendered at the first summons ; but not for wani 
of the means of defence 



L 



1796.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 55 

The graad duke, being alarmed, requewtod the 
Piench general to respect a neutral territory. Bo- 
naparte promised not to enter Florence, but to pasa 
through Sienna. On the 26th of June, Vaubois 
was at Pistoia. Rome was alarmed, as the blood 
of a French ambassador was still reeking there. 
Proclamations, demanding vengeance for the death 
of M. Basseville, and the reconstruction of the capi- 
tol, still resounded in the Vatican. The thunders 
of the church had not been sufficiently powerful to 
defend the holy city against the Catholic army un- 
der the constable of Bourbon ; and she did not 
seem more powerful now against an army perhaps 
a little less orthodox. Rome submitted to very 
hard conditions. This was the first time Rome had 
jeen made tributary to France ; but she was now 
to pay twenty millions in money and other articles. 
Notwithstanding the advantages of this treaty were 
all on the side of France, the approbation of that 
government was with difficulty obtained. The re- 
auction of Rome was not the only object which 
Vaubois was charged to accomplish. On the 28th 
of June, 1796, he took possession of Leghorn. 

The grand duke of Tuscany, so far from show- 
ing any resentment in consequence of this measure, 
mvited Bonaparte soon ailer to Florence, where 
he partook of a splendid entertainment, during which 
an officer brought him despatches, announcing the 
surrender of the castle of Milan. The two prm- 
eipal guests, though very differently interested in 
this affair, possessed a sufficient degree of self-cr m- 
liand to prevent the one from expressing his joy 
and to enable the other to conceal his mortificatioa 

The revolution that followed at Genoa seemed 
io arise from the course of events, and did not re 



56 



MEMOIRS OP 



[179b 



quire the intervention of the French army. A new 
constitution restored tranquillity. 

During the popular agitation that preceded this 
new establishment, the statues of Andre Doria had 
been thrown down. The resentment that Bona- 
parte felt at this act of ingratitude and barbarity, 
led him to ask, "whether any excess of zeal should 
lead people to forget their own glory. What bar- 
barous hand could strike that Andre Doria, the 
founder of your liberty ; that hero of patriotism, 
who refused the sovereignty which was offered him 
by the emperor of Germany !" 

General Beaulieu, finding himself incompetent to 
withstand a general, "whose mistress was Glory, 
and whose companion was Plutarch," resigned the 
command of the army. 

General Wurmser, older than Beaulieu, but not 
less opiniated, was charged with restoring the for 
tune of Austria beyond the Alps. With sixty thou- 
sand men under his command, he flattered himself 
he should be able to envelope the enemy, who had 
not more than forty-four thousand. Bonaparte, 
seeing himself in danger of being surrounded, sud- 
denly withdrew his troops from Verona, and by a 
forced march regained possession of Brescia. In 
one of these affairs, a Captain Lasalle being made 
prisoner, and taken before Wurmser, the old gener- 
al asked him what might be the age of Bonaparte. 
" He is," said this officer, " of the same age as Scipic 
when he conquered Hannibal." 

These partial advantages did not alarm Bona- 
Darte. Wurmser's march had scarcely commenced, 
when Napoleon formed the plan, to which he not 
only owed his safety, but that series of successes 
q/hich were crowned by the victory of Cas^ig]ion^^ 



1796.] NAPOLEOIV BONAPARTE. 

The Austrians being now masters of the heighta 
and left bank of the Adige, the French could no 
longer retain possession of Verona, without expos- 
ing the troops to the hazard of being surroundei^ 
Bonaparte therefore ordered them to fall back, and 
assembled all his forces at Roverbella. 

At this period the left of the French army under 
Joubert and Massena had been beaten, and the two 
generals obliged to retreat under the walls of Pes- 
chiera. Napoleon, pressed in all directions, saw 
his communications with France nearly cut off; he 
was, besides, placed between two armies, each more 
numerous than his own. Brescia, his principal 
magazine, was taken. Milan^ fifteen leagues in 
the rear of the enemy, was of no use to him. In 
this situation, the soldiers were astonished, when 
assembled in the presence of their chief, to find no 
alteration in his countenance. 

" Fear nothing," said Napoleon — " show that you 
remain unchanged: preserve your valour, your just 
pride, and the remembrance of your triumphs, and 
in three days we shall retake all that we have lost. 
Rely on me ; you know whether or not I am in the 
habit of keeping my word." 

The enthusiasm of the army being now equal to 
its surprise, Napoleon immediately availed himself oi 
circumstances, and conceived one of those plans 
which alone would be sufficient to constitute him a 
great general. He totally abandoned the line of 
the Adige, gave Augereau orders to march on Bres- 
cia, and told his soldiers, "that, if they wished to 
obtam the victory, it M'as with their hgs alone that 
it could noA^ be gained." Napoleon gave a little 
repose to his troops, strengthened himself as m.uch 
is possible, opened a communication with Serruri- 



fiS MEMOIRS o* [179bi 

er, and prescribed the movements which he should 
adopt. lie ordered his brother Louis to take pos- 
session of the bridge of St. Mark with two battalions 
and on his return he despatched him in the great- 
est haste to Paris, with an account of what had ta- 
ken place. " Every thing is now made good," said 
he. " To-mofrow I shall give battle ; the success 
will be complete, as the most difficult part of the 
task is over. I have no time to write long despatch- 
es: ; describe all that you have seen." 

Louis accordingly left Brescia before the battle. 
A few hours after his arrival at Paris, a courier 
brought the details of the great victory gained by 
his brother at Castiglione. As a mark of their sat- 
isfaction, the Directory conferred the rank of cap- 
lain upon Louis. 

In this memorable battle, Napoleon contrived to 
turn all the successes gained by Wurmser to the 
advantage of the French army. 

The battle of Lonado occurred on the 3d of Au- 
gust. Junot, Bonaparte's first aid-de-camp, was 
sent in pursuit of the fugitive Austrians, at the head 
of a company of guides. Coming up with the hu- 
lans of Bender, he had already wounded their col- 
onel, when, attacked on all sides, he v/as thrown in- 
to a ditch covered with wounds, but not till he had 
killed six of the enemy with his own hands. Still, 
apparently with the voice of a dying man, he con- 
tinued to exclaim, " You are all my prisoners." 
Prom this situation he was relieved by his dragoons, 
and conveyed to the head-quarters. 

On this day the Austrians lost twenty pieces of 
cannon, three or four thousand men killed and 
wounded, and four thousand prisoners, and among 
these three generals. The French had to lamen? 



1796.] NAPOLEOxN ONAPARTE. 5& 

the death of General Bayran, whose probity ^vas 
equal to h .s courage. 

Wurmser, who was still able to collect 25 000 
men, and a numerous cavalry, indulged the hope of 
retrieving his fortunes. Bonaparte on his side was 
making arrangements for a general engagement, 
and for that purpose repaired to Lonaflo, to see what 
troops he could collect there. He had scarcely en- 
tered, when an Austrian flag of truce arrived to 
summon the commandant to surrender. The place 
was in fact surrounded by forces much superior to 
those within it. This was an embarrassing situa- 
tion for Bonaparte ; hovi^ever, by a stroke of genius, 
he disengaged himself with eclat Ordering the 
officer who brought the flag of truce to be brought 
before him, and to have the bandage taken from his 
eyes, " Your general-in-chief," said he, " has the 
^resumption to summon the general-in-chief of the 
army of Italy ! Let him advance. If he presume 
to insult the French arm.y, I am here to avenge it. 
Tell him that he and his corps are my prisoners ; 
that one of his own columns is cut off at Salo, and 
another by the passage of Brescia to Trent, and 
*hat if in eight minutes he does not lay down hiy 
sirms, he shall be shot with his whole corps. Un- 
deceive your commander, and let him see General 
Bonaparte at the head of his brave republican army ; 
tell your general that will be the highest reward 
he can expect." 

While every one was preparing for the attack, 
the commander of the enemy's army requested a 
capitulation. " No," replied Bonaparte ; " you are 
a prisoner of war." The commandant wished to 
expostulate, but already the light artillery were ad- 
"piicing, and he cried out, "We yield." Thna 



so MEMOIRS OF [1796 

1200 French gained a victory over 4000 of the en- 
emy's well arranged force, and defended also hy 
four pieces of cannon. 

At five in the morning of the 5th of August, the 
two armies were in presence of each other. Bona« 
parte, by a retrograde motion, having drawn Wurm- 
ser after him, Serrurier's division turned and at- 
tacked his left. This battle terminated what ha? 
been called " The Campaign of Five Days," during 
which Wurmser lost seventy pieces of cannon, and 
more than twenty thousand men. 

Bonaparte, having recovered all his formei posi- 
tions, began to turn his whole attention upon Mantua, 
and had some thoughts of entering the place by 
night. Some grenadiers were to embark upon the 
lake, and seize upon one of the gates, whilst the 
attention of the besieged was to have been excited 
by a false attack elsewhere. But, as the water sud- 
denly sunk more than three feet, this project fell to 
the ground. Bonaparte confided the blockade to 
General Sahuguet, observing that " operations of 
this kind depend entirely upon good fortune ; upon 
a dog or a goose." 

Bonaparte took nossession of Trent in the name 
of France, and seized all the property that belong- 
ed to the empex'or and the prince bishop. The 
Toute to the Tyrol had been opened to the French 
by the battle of Roveredo. 

The French, after beating the Austrians in the 
gorges of the Brenta, at Primolano, at S(*lagna, 
and carrying the fort of Covelo, on the 81 h of Sep- 
tember marched towards Bassano, where Wurmser 
had his head-quarters. Five thousand prisoners, 
live standards, thirty-five pieces of cannon, with 
their caissons, fell into the hands of tiie French, 




ii1'9^ j WaPOLEON bonapakte. 6* 

i^nd Wurriiscr hiinself narrowly escaped beiag ta 
I ken with iiie military chest. 

I Curious to ascertain the loss of the enemy, Bo- 

I naparte in the evening rode over the field with his 

I staff, when their notice was attracted by the howi- 

I mgs of a dog, that seemed to increase in propor- 

j tion as they approached the spot whence they pro- 

I ceeded. » In the deep silence of a beautiful moon- 

I light night," said the emperor, « a dog, leaping sud- 

I denly from beneath the clothes of his dead master, 

j rushed upon us, and then immediately returned to 

I his hiding-place^ howling piteously. He alternate- 

j iy licked his master's ha::d, and ran towards us, as 

if at once soliciting aid and seeking revenge. 
Whether owing to my own particular turn of mind 
I at that moment, the time, the place, or the actioi 

I itself, I know not, but certainly no incident on any 

I field of battle ever produced so deep an impression 

\ on me. I i^^voluntarily stopped to contemplate the 

scene. This man, thought I, has friends in the 
camp, or in his company, and here he lies forsakea 
I 'ij ail except his dog." 



MEMOIRS OF 



[ll^& 



CHAPTER V. 



Victsrirs oj the French — Sen-ties from Mantua — Dreadful BU 
uaiion of titat City — War hettveen the Poytdalitm of Italy ana 
ike AiisiriaTis — Excesses at Bologiia and (ienva — Anniversary 
of the French Republic celebrazed at Milan — fi'tUle of Arcole- 
Anecdotes — Tlie sleeping Seiitirtel — Death of Colonel Muiron. 

In tfte course of six days the French armv haa 
gained six victories. O.u oi tne sixty tho^^pa^d 
men, with which Wurmser was to recontjuer Italy, 
:>nly ten thousand remained after the battle of Bas- 
sano ; these he sent to Verona, which they were 
prevented from entering by (ieneral Kilmaine. 

Wearied of opposing sorties, Bonaparte confined 
himself to a strict blockade of Mantua. 

By the end of September, there were not more 
than sixteen thousand men in Mantua able to bear 
arms. The public establishments were not capa- 
ble of receiving the sick ; but, being distributed in 
the private houses, the whole city might be consid- 
ered as one vast hospital. After a brisk cannon- 
ade, on the 23d, the Imperialists were routed by 
the republican infantry, who took eleven hundred 
prisoners and five pieces of cannon On the 1st of 
October, the Fren'^h attacked the Austrians in their 
advanced piosts of Cereze and Pradella. 

On the night of the 18th, the Austrians enaeav- 
oured to scale tlie intrenchments of St. George's, 
but, being unsufxessful, all their attempts tcruimat- 
ed lierC' 



1795.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTK. 6d 

About tins time, the general administraiion of 
Loinbardy solicited permission from Generay Bona- 
parte to form a legion to act with the republican 
army, and to march against the common enemy. 

The inhabitantb of Modena, abandoned Dy theii 
duke, proclaimed their independence. This wa? 
first done at Rog-gio, an example which was sooi 
followed at Ferrara and Bologna. Soon after this. 
under the auspices of Bonaparte, the union of Mo- 
dena, Reggio, Bologna, and Ferrara, was declared 
at a general congress. A secortd congress, held 
at Reggio, ulteriorly proclaimed the definitive re- 
union of the dutchies and legations, under the name 
of the Cispadane republic. 

^ Great axaasees took place at Bolop^na on the day 
when the tree of liberty was planted ; the populace 
crowded to the houses of the rich, and persons of 
easy circumstances, to collect money, &c., as they 
pretended, to purchase wine, for the purpose of re- 
joicing. Bonaparte, however, arrived, and put an 
end to this disorder. All the monks not belonging 
to the convents in Bologna were ordered to quit 
the city in three days ; but they were provided with 
money sufficient to bear their charges to Rome. 

Genoa next drew the attention df Bonaparte. 
He now wrote to the Genoese government with the 
dignity and spirit always belonging to his charac- 
ter. "The city of Genoa," said he, "is the foc.w 
from whence those wretches proceed who mfesl 
the highways, assassinate the French, and intercept 
our convoys. The governor of Novi protecta them : 
I demand that the Genoese government shall make 
R,!i example of him. If you do not take measures 
for this end, I shall. I will burn both villages antf 
owns upon any territory where one single French 



04 



MEMOIRS OF 



I79fi 



man has been assassinated. I will burn the houses 
that afford refuge to assassins. I will punish those 
negligent magistrates who violate the first princi- 
ple of neutrality, in granting an asyiurn to the bri 
gands. The assassination of one single FrencbmaE 
shall bring destruction upon whole communitiea 
who shall not have protected the French." 

This minister took refuge in the Imperial fiefs 
The focus of intrigue, it seems, had only been re- 
moved. 

As nothing escaped the penetration of Bonaparte, 
he soon discovered this den : a detachment was or- 
dered against it ; however, three hundred of the 
banditti, with the English and German diplomatist, 
had time to escape. , 

Bonaparte soon after celebrated at Milan the an- 
niversary of the foundation of the French republic. 
Taking those games and ceremonies that were used 
at Athens and Rome for models, this fete was ex- 
tremely magnificent. Josephine, the spouse of Gen- 
eral Bonaparte, assisted, and, by her graces, attem- 
pered the austerity of the military cortege which 
encircled her spouse. 

It was at this time he wrote to the emperor of 
Germany, to propose peace. 

The command of the new Austrian army haa 
been conferred on Field-Marshal Alvinzi : this con- 
sisted of 45,000 men, which, with those that couid 
be drawn from Mantua, might amount to t)0,Ouu. 
To these Bonaparte could oppose only 30,000. 8BU0 
formed the blockade of Mantua. Augereau had 
8000 men upon the Adige. Massena was posted 
')etween Bassano and Trevisa with 9000. Vaubois, 
vi^-h 10,000, guarded the defiles of the Tyrol ; and 



1796.J NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 65 

Menard, with 2000 men as a reserve, occupied the 
toun of Brescia, with 1800 cavalry in the vicinity- 
Determined to push forwards, Davidovich attack- 
ed Vaubois near Galliano, who was obliged to evac- 
uate this village in the night, leaving six pieces of 
cannon. Upon the reception of this intelligence, 
Bonaparte hastened to Verona. Alvinzi had tajfen 
the same route. On the 11th of November Bona- 
parte marched to meet the Austrians. Augereau 
came up with their advanced guard within two 
leagues of Verona, and routed them. On the 12th, 
the two armies were in presence. Supported on 
the left by the village of Caldiero, and upon the 
right by Olivetto, the positions of the enemy's first 
line were highly advantageous, and, at the instant 
when it was presumed the intention of the French 
was to come to a general action, the Austrian corpai 
at Villa Nuova had orders to begin its march. At 
day-b.-oak, Massena attacked the enemy's right, and 
Augereau, on the left, made himself master of Cal- 
diero. 

The progress of the Austrians had been stopped 
but they had not retreated : it was necessary to 
rinquish them, but of this Bonaparte almost des- 
paired. 

But with Bonaparte discouragement was not de- 
spair ; triumph often awaited him when he seemed 
to be upon the very brink of ruin. Alvinzi had ap- 
proached Verona on the 15th of November, and 
flattered himself that he could carry the place by 
assault, although General Kilmaine had 1500 men 
there. Bonaparte, descending the Adige to Ronco, 
passed upon this point with the divisions of Auge- 
reau and Massena, and took his route to Villa Nuo- 
va, with the view of seizing the enemy's baggage 
6* 



66 



MEMOIRS OF 



[179d 



and his parks of artillery, whom he meant to at' 
tack on the flanks and in the rear. 

At ten o'clock on the 17th, the action became 
general. The Austrians lost 13,000 men in this 
battle, including 5000 prisoners, and eighteen pieces 
of cannon. 

The loss of the French was less considerable in 
numbers than in the importance of those that fell 
during these three days. The great art of the 
general-in-chief on this occasion, having but 13,000 
men to oppose to 40,000, was to maintain the com- 
bat in the midst of a morass, where the enemy 
could not deploy. On the third day of this battle, 
November 17th, the 75th having been broken, Bona- 
parte placed the 32d in an ambuscade, lying on 
their faces in a little wood of willows along the 
dike of Arcole. This demi-brigade rose, fired a 
volley, charged bayonets, and drove into the marsh 
3000 Croats, who all perished there. 

Las Cases, mentioning the bridge at Arcole, says. 
" Kere Napoleon in person tried a last effort : he 
seized a standard, rushed towards the bridge, and 
fixed it there. A cry is heard of ' Soldiers ! for- 
ward to rescue the general !' These brave men 
inst antly turn, and rush upon the enemy ; they drivp 
them beyond the bridge, and Napoleon is saved." 

Napoleon acknowledged, whilst at St. Helena, 
" that he considered himself in the greatest danger 
at Arcole; his horse was shot under him; when 
rendered furious by the wound, the animal seized 
the bit between his teeth, and galloped on towards 
the enemy. In the agonies of death he plunged 
jrto a mora^ss, and expired, leaving his rider nearly 
ap to his neck in the swamp, and in a situation from 



iT^6.J NAPULEON BONAPARTE. 61 

»vhich, as he could not extricate himself, he thoug-hl 
the Austrians would have ,ome and cut off hia 
head, which appeared just above the surface." 

After these three hard fought days of Arcole, 
Bonaparte surprised "the sleeping- sentinel." Na- 
poleon, who offered up his own repose as a sacrifice 
or the more imperious calls of promptitude and glo- 
ry, proceeded, alone, to visit the outskirts of the 
camp, and in this survey arrived at the spot where 
lay extended the sleeping sentinel, who could hard- 
ly be deemed guilty of a breach of duty, but the 
unwilling victim of extreme fatigue, that totally 
overpowered him. Bonaparte, unmindful of his 
iignity, and actuated only by noble motives, took up 
he soldier's musket, which laid bes'de him ; when, 
plar'ing it upon his own shoulder, he continued to 
mouiil guard for nearly an hour, in Drder to ensure 
th'^ safety of the camp. The grer.adier at length 
a^'^oke, and sought for his piece in vain, but, by the 
'•ght of the moon, perceived the general, who had 
thus paid respect to his repose. 

"■ Oh ! I am undone !" vociferated the soldier, re- 
cognising Napoleon, whoso lineaments were graven 
'jipon the heJiiu of every warrior. 

"No^ my friend," replied the general, with ex- 
treme- affability, at the same time surrendermg up 
his musket, " the battle was obstinate, and long 
enoug[i contested, to excuse your having thus yield- 
ed to the impulse of fatigue ; one moment of inat- 
tention, however, miglit endanger the safety of the 
2amp: I was awake, and have only to advise, that 
fou would be more upon your guard for the future !" 

Among the officers who perished in the battle ot 
Arcole, were Muiron and Elliot, whose names ha'*« 
"jeen consecrated by Bonaparte to immortality. 



m 



MRMO'/as OP 



Bonaparte v«rrote th<i followmg letter U his wick 
ow :— " Muiron died fey my side at the battle of As- 
cole. You have ioist a husband who was dear U 
you ; and I have lost a friend to whom I have beeia 
long attached ; Vmt the country has lost more than 
either of us. if I can serve you or his infant in 
aamseij 'i feope you will reckoa i 



1797.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



CHAPTER VI. 

03tiU of Rivoli — A Duel — Battle of La Favorite — Surrender 
tf. Mantua — A Germaji^:Spy — Affairs of Rome — A Proces- 
sion, — Republic of San Manno — Obehskin Honour of Virgil — 
The Archduke Charles — Passage of the Piave and the Taglia- 
viento — Bei-nadoite — Treaty of Campo Fonnio — Bonaparte^s 
Return to Paris — Anecdotes — Bonaparte at tlie Institute at Par- 
is — Increasing Populatnty — Jealousy of the Directory — Jour- 
Hey incog'. — Rome seized, and the Republic re-established — Con- 
duct of liernadotte at Vienna — Unpopfidarity of the Directory — 
Anniversary of the Execution of Louis JC Vl. 

The weakness of the army of Italy did not per- 
n>it Bonaparte to draw all the advantages he prom- 
ised himself from the victory of Arcoie. 

On the 7th of January, 1797, Alvinzi left Bassa- 
no, and took his route through the gorges of Bren- 
ta to Roveredo, where he joined his right wing, and 
descended into the valley of the Adige. 

On the 14th, before day-light, the battle of Ri 
voli commenced. Alvin-zi saved himself with diffi 
culty. In two days the French had taken 13,003 
men and nine pieces of cannon. 

It is said that Bonaparte passed the night pre- 
ceding the battle of Rivoli in a state of uncertain- 
ty and indecision ; at length, on receiving fresh re- 
ports, he exclaimed, " It is clear — it is char : to Rive- 
li /" All his orders were given viva voce, to save time, 

In the affair of Anguari, a commander of the 
Austrian hussars insolently summoned Colonel Du- 
rivierto surrender — " Come and take me," was th.'} 
reply : the :roops under both seemed to separate 
spontaneously, to give way to the combatants : twa 
blows with the sabre brought the Austrian colonel 



m 



MEMOIRS OF 



[1797 



lo the ground, and liis overthrow was soon follow 
ed by that of his regiment. 

iioiiaparte, writing to the Directory, said, ' Ik 
four days the army of the republic has been cc>ii- 
querors in two pitched battles and four combats 
They have made 25,000 prisoners, among whom aie 
a lieutenant-general, two generals, and from twelve 
to fifteen colonels. We have taken twenty stand 
ards, and killed and wounded at least 6000 of the 
enemy." The 75th, at the battle of La Favorite, 
refused cartridges ; " With such enemies as we 
have before us," said they, " we must only use the 
bayonet." 

Mantua, compelled by famine and disease, open- 
ed its gates on the 2d of February, 1797. The 
garrison had devoured 5000 horses, and there was 
only two days of such provisiorLs in the place. 
Wurmser and his suite excepted, the garrison were 
r.mde prisoners of war. Anmmnition and cannoa 
to an immense amount were found in the place, and, 
among the latter, those parks that Bonaparte had 
abandoned when he marched to Castiglione ; thus 
realizing his prediction when he said to Berthier, 
pointing to this cannon and to that on the ramparts, 
" We shall soon retake all that are here, and take 
all that are there." 

A Gerr:ian was taken, endeavouring to obtain an 
entrance. Suspected of being a spy, he was search - 
ed by the soldiers, who found nothing upon him, bui 
menaced him in French, which he did not under- 
stand. At length a Frenchman, who spoke a little 
German, was brought, who threatened him with in- 
stant death if he did not immediately tell all lie 
knew. He accompanied these threats with violent 
gestures, drew out his sword, pointed it at the bel- 



i797.J NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 71 

y of the German, and said ho A^ould rip hihi up 
The poor terrified stranger, not perfectly under- 
standing the broken German spoken by the French 
soldier, thought, when he saw him point his sword 
at \ivs belly, that his secret was discovered, and cri- 
ed out that there was no occasion to rip him up, for, 
if tiiey waited a few hours, they would have it by 
the course of nature. Some were for giving him a 
purgative without delay. Two officers were ap- 
pointed to take charge of him, and in two hours the 
A'i&hed-for article was found, rolled up in wax, 
about the size of a hazel-nut. When unrolled, this 
proved to be a letter from the Emperor Francis to 
General Wurmser. 

On the day preceding the surrender, Bonaparte 
published a proclamation, reproaching the popt 
with subterfuge and perfidy ; declaring the armis 
tice at an end, and recalling the French ambassa 
dor from Rome. 

When the French army were approaching Rome 
in this year, the papal government prepared to re- 
sist them, not by a levy en masse, but by a proces- 
sion of sacred relics, viz. H santo Volto, a miracu- 
lous portrait of the Saviour, and a Santa Maria, a 
portrait of the Virgin, both supposed to have been 
painted by supernatural agency : to these were add- 
ed the chains which St. Peter wore in prison when 
the angel delivered him. This procession was at- 
tended by nearly the whole population of Rome, oi 
fill ranks, ages, and sexes, the greater part bare- 
footed. 

On Bonaparte's return from Tolentino, he pre- 
sented the republic of St. Marino with four pieces 
of cannon, in the name of the French republic ; 
exempted lier citizens in the Romagna from all con- 



72 MEMOIRS OP [1797 

tributions, and d'recied a supply of corn to be de 
livered to the inhabitants gratuitously. 

He did not do himself less honour by the atten 
don which he paid to the genius of Virgil. Tha 
surrounding fields, which, by the generosity of Au 
gustus, became the patrimony of the prince of po- 
ets, are still called the Virgilian fields. These 
Bonaparte ordered should be exempt from all con- 
tributions, and their cultivators indemnified for al 
the losses they had sustained by the war. Ar 
obelisk was erected to the memory of Virgil in the 
midst of a wood of oaks, myrtles and laurels, the 
inauguration of which was performed with all the 
pomp of a triumph. 

The Archduke Charles had now taken the com- 
mand of the Austrian army. 

Bonaparte began to advance on the 10th of 
March : in order to leave Italy, he had a variety of 
obstacles to encounter, not less difficult than those 
that had opposed his entrance. 

The army was soon in march towards the Piave, 
a deep and rapid river, which some of the divisions 
passed on the 13th of March, and drove the Aus- 
trians to Sacile, where they came up with their rear 
guard, from whom they made 100 prisoners. A 
soldier, carried away by the current, had nearly 
been drowned, but was saved by a female suttler. 
Bonaparte presented this courageous woman with a 
golden necklace, to which a civic crown was sus- 
pended, with the name of the soldier that had been 
saved. 

On the 16th of March, all the divisions were col- 
lected at Valvasone. The archduke's army was in- 
trenched on the other side of the Tagliamento. In 
Lfte passage of this riv3r, Bonaparte himself was so 



A*r^^'T ' NAPOLEUIN BONAPARTE. 73 

aicarlv drowned by the submersion of liis carriage, 
rjmt iov some moments he gave up all thougJits of life.' 

Tiie affair of Gradisca was the first in which thr 
^livision ot Bernadotte had borne a part. 

He arrived upon the borders of the Tagliamentc 
just at me moment of fighting. Throwing himself 
into the river, " Soldiers !" he exclaimed, " think 
that you are the army of the Rhine, and 4;hat the 
army or Italy is looking on you." Bernadotte was 
then a citizen and a soldier, raised by his merit to 
the first ranlc in the army. On the 21st of March, 
the French entered Goritz, 

Since tne opening of this campaign, Prince 
Charles had lost nearly 20,000 men made prison- 
ers, and the Austrians could now make no stand, 
except in the mountains in the neighbourhood of 
Vienna. A letter written by Bonaparte to the 
Archduke Charles, proposing peace, had been an- 
swered by that prince's assurhig him that he was 
not invested, on the part of the emperor, with any 
powers for treating. Two hours after the receipt 
of this letter, and while the French troops were on 
their march to Freisach, the archduke requested a 
suspension of arms for four hours ; a pnposit m 
entirely inadmissible, as it was obviously made o 
gain the whole day. * 

The definitive treaty of Campo Formio was signed 
jn the 17th of October following. Thus the sword, 
which had been first drawn in the month of May, 
1792, and which for six successive years had des- 
olated continental Europe, was partially, but by no 
mcana permanently, restored to the scabbard. 

Bonaparte retHrned to Paris on the 20th of No- 
vember 1797, where he was hailed with the most 
lapt'Tous applause by the people. 



74 MEMOIRS OF [17 97 

Napoleon according to Las Cases, decla red that he 
returned froin the campaign of Italy, in 1797, with 
no more than 300,000 francs in his possessio 
though he might easily have brought ten or twelv* 
milli jns. He expected, after his arrival in France 
to fcave received some great national reward. 

Just before Napoleon left the army of Italy, Ma 
dame Bonaparte furnished a small house in the Rut 
Chantereine, vi^hich the Directory ordered to be 
called the Rue de la Victoire. Here, it is said, he 
was much surprised and mortified, to find that the 
drawing-room furniture, which appeared to be noth 
ing uncommon, was charged at the enormous rate 
of between 120 and 130 francs. But when he came 
to see the upholsterer's directions, arxl found that 
every article was to be of the very best kind, made 
after new designs invented expressly for the house. 
he felt himself bound to pay the bill. The disposi- 
tion for inquiring into the price of articles, was in- 
dulged by Bonaparte even at the period of his great 
est prosperity. On one occasion, when he return- 
ed to the Tuilleries, which had been magnificently 
fitted up during his absence, he walked up to a 
window overhung with a rich curtain, and, asking 
some of the attendants for a pair of scissors, he cut 
off a superb gold acorn, which was suspended from 
the drapery, and, coolly putting it into his pocket, 
tie continued his inspection of the furniture, to the 
astonishment of all present, who were not a little 
puzzled to find out his motives. Some days after 
wards, at his levee, he drew the acorn from his 
pocket, and gave it to the person who superintendeu 
the furnishing of the palace. " Here," said he 
" Heaven forbid that I should think you rob me ; buf 
'^oine one has dcibtless robbed yoa—-yoiih%ve nai?I 



1797.J IVAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 73 

for this at the rate of one third aoove its calue. 
They have dealt with you as thougn you had been 
the steward of a great nobleman. You would have 
'nade a better bargain if you had not been known." 
Napoleon, it seems, had walked cut one mor^iing in 
disguise, and visited some of the shops in the R le 
St. Denis, where he asked the price of ornaments 
smiilar to that which he had cut from the curtain. 

Soon after Bonaparte's return from the army of 
Italy, he took his place in the Institute at Paris, 
and considered himself as the tenth member in hi? 
class, which consisted of about fifty. A circum- 
stance which attracted considerable notice at the 
time, was, to see the young general of the army of 
Italy publicly discussing profound metaphysical sub- 
jects w^th his colleagues- ir whe Institute. He was 
then called the geometrician of battles, and the 
mechanician of victory. 

People flocked to the sittings of the Institute to 
see the general, who never failed to be present. 
When he went to the theatre he was always in a 
private box. 

The troops returning to France made him the 
riubject of their songs, in which they raised him to 
the skies. These verses expressed a wish that the 
lawyers should be turned out, and the gene'ral made 
king. Under these circumstances, was not sur- 
orising that jealousy should exist on the part of th& 
Directory. 

I'he Directory had at first the intention of send 
:ng him to Rastadt, to relieve them from the re 
sponsibility of the congress then sitting there ; out 
the general refused this mission, urging that it waa 
not fit that the same hand should dirett the pen 
anJ'tJie sw^ord. Afterwards the Directory appoint- 



7b 



MEMOIRS OF 



[179^ 



ed him commander of the army of England, whlcfe 
served ta conceal from the eyes of the enemy tha 
plan and preparations for the expedition to Egypt. 

Tlie troops composing this army of England cov- 
ered N.ormandy, Picardy, and Belgium. Bonaparte 
travelled through, and inspected the v^^hole of their 
incognito. He every where found himself the ob- 
ject of every conversation, and of general expecta- 
tion. At Antwerp, he first conceived the great 
maritime ideas which he afterwards put in execu- 
tion tliere, and formed that of the new canal at St. 
Quentin. 

About this time, the miserable court of Rome, 
provoked rather than corrected by the treaty of 
Tolentino, quarrelled with the Cisalpine republic. 
Duphot, a French general, who happened to be in 
Rome as a traveller, was murdered at the door of 
Joseph Bonaparte, the French ambassador, who 
thought it prudent to retire to Florence. 

Napoleon, being consulted, said it was necessary 
to chastise Rome, but not destroy it : not being 
listened to, an army was sent to seize Rome, and 
establish the Roman republic. The executive power 
vvas vested in three consuls ; a senate ar i a tribu- 
nate composed the legislative. Fourteer cardinals 
attended at the church of St. Peter, and even sang 
a Te Deum in commemoration of this event, which 
was nothing less than the abolition of the te-mporal 
authority of the pope. 

Bernadotte, some time before this, having been 
very imprudently sent ambassador to Vienna, one 
day most unaccountably caused the tri-coloured flag 
to be hoisted on his house in that city : but this of 
rse was torn down, and himself insulted ""jy th« 
pcpulace. 



rtAPoLEON BONAPAKTE J^ 

At this time, so unpopul ir were the Directory, tliat 
Bonaparte had been solicitr-^ by a party composed 
of deputies possessing influence in the two coun- 
cils, patriots of Fruotidor, who sought a protectoj 
general, the most powerful and most enlightened, 
to stir and put himself at tho head of the repub- 
lic ; but he refused, because he felt he was not 
strong enough to go alone. 

The 21st of January, 1798, was the anniversary 
yf the execution of Louis XVI. Bonaparte was 
solicited to appear at this ceremony. He went to 
the church of St. Sulpice, merely as a riiember of 
the Institute, but was discovered, after wliich ail 
eyes were fixed exclusively on him. When tlie 
festival was over, the Directory were allowed to 
go out quite alone; the multitude remained, and 
made the sky resound with " Long live the general 
of the army of Italy !" 

On the eve of Napoleon's departure for Egypt, 
he became possessed of Malmaison, and there he 
deposited nearly all his property : he purchased it 
in the name of his wife, who was older than him- 
self, and consequently, in case of his survivino^ her, 
fee must have forfeited ail claim to it. The fact is 
&JS he himself has said, that he never had a tag!« 
'mr ddBif^ for riches 



MEMOIRS OP 



\l79h 



CHAPTER VTI. 

Erpeditfoi^ to Egypt — Proclamation — Alexandrvx taken — Saf.U 
of the Pyrav'idU — Cairo surrenders — Naval Battle at Ahoukir— 
Anecaote — Excursion to Suez and the Red Sea — Siege of St. 
Jean d'Acre — Sir Sidneij Smith — Ca^ffarelli — The Angel El- 
Mahdy — Shooting of tlie Turkish Prisoners — Plague at Jaffi 
—Anecd-otes — Bonajtarle's 1 departure from Egypt, and Arrimi 
in France — P lans for tnakiug Discoveries in Africa, and f(» 
constructing Canals in Egypt. 

The Directory now carried into eifect the most 
fatal of all their projects, that of sending a power- 
ful army to the East, to seize upon Egypt, and 
thence to attack the British empire in India. 

The projected invasion of Egypt was conducted 
with much secrecy, while the world was amused 
with tales of monstrous rafts constructed to convey 
the army of England over to Britain. 

Napoleon arrived at Toulon on the 10th of Biay, 
1798. Previous to his sailing, he addressed a 
proclamation to his army. 

When all was in readiness, Bonaparte, on the 20th 
of May, embarked with 40,000 veterans, mostly 
from the array of Italy, without reckoning artists, 
savans, and others. When in sight of the island 
of Gazzo, they were joined by a convoy from Civita 
Vecchia. The first opei ition was the taking of Mai 
ta, which surrendered to them on the 12th of June 

In th(3 evening of the 30th, the fleet arrived with- 
m a few leagues of Alexandria : Bonaparte issued 
a proclamation, dated from the ship I'Orient, where- 
in he recommended the strictest discipline, a respect 
for personal property, and for the religion of th€ 
country they were about to land in. Th© following 
ss an extract from this proclamation : 



J79H.J NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 7> 

" The people whom we are going amongst are 
Mahometans ; the first article of their fai' h i jin? 
thus — There is no other God but God, and Ma- 
homet is his prophet. Do not contradict them ; act 
vvith them as we have done with the Jews, and with 
the Italians ; pay respect to their muftis and their 
imans, the same as you have to rabbies and bish 
ops ; show the same tolerance for their mosques, 
and all the ceremonies prescribed by their Alcoran, 
as you have already shown for convents and syna- 
gogues, for the religion of Moses, and for that of 
Jesus Christ." 

At length, the French disembarked at Alexan- 
dria, which they attacked, and which capitulated, 
after a dreadful carnage ; the inhabitants, however, 
were respected by their conquerors, their command- 
er concluded a treaty with the Arabs, and, so fa! 
from opposing their religious customs, he spoke oi 
Mahomet as an extraordinary personage, who was 
worthv of the homage of ail nations. In his firs* 
proclamation to the Alexandrians there is found this 
remarkable passage: 

"Cadies, Cheicks, Imans, Tehorbajas, tell your 
people that we are the true Mussulmans. Was it 
not we that overthrew the power of the pope ?" 

From Alexandria the army took the road to Cairo, 
and defeated the Arabs and Mamelukes, who had 
gathered together to dispute with them the passage 
to Rhamania and Chabrane. 

In the morning of the 10th July, the army came 
in sight of the Pyramids, and at night they were 
within six leagues of Cairo. They found twerty- 
three beys intrenched with all their force at Em- 
babe ; Bonaparte caused them to be attacked in 
Uieir intrenchments, by General Dessaix and Ran* 



BO MEMOIRS OF [IVj^ 

pen ; and, uotwichstanding their fine appearance and 
some sorties, victory declared in favour of tJie 
French. Almost all the Mamelukes were slain ; 
two thousand cavalry, and the greater number of 
the beys, fell on this day : their leader, Murad Bey 
was wounded in the cheek. More than fifty piecea 
of cannon, and four hundred loaded camels, became 
the spoil of the conquerors. 

This brilliant victory was followed by the suiren- 
der of Cai;o, on the 22d of July. 

On the 1st of August, 1798, the battle of Abou- 
kir, so fatal to the French navy, took place. 

Ibrahim Bey fled towards Syria, where Bona- 
parte resolved to pursue him with vigour. 

Being accompanied by many officers of his staff 
and others, he visited the grand pyramid of Cheops, 
attended by many muftis and imans. It was on 
this occasion, that, beholding the aspect of these 
uisperishable masses, he cried out " From the top of 
these pyramids, forty ages behold us !" 

On the 26th of December, 1798, Bonaparte airiv- 
3d at Suez ; the following day was spent in viewing 
the town and coast, and ordering such works and 
fortifications as he deemed necessary for their de- 
fence. On the 28th of December, he passed the 
Red Sea at a ford near Suez, which is practicable 
at low water, and proceeded to the fountains of 
Moses, about three leagues and a half from Suez, 
in Asia. He returned the same evening to Suez, 
but, it being high water, he was obliged to ascend 
tO the extremity of the Red Sea. This route was 
the more tedious, from the guide having lost nis 
way in the marshes, where they were sometimes up 
to the middle in water. Thus, like f, second Pha- 
• a» a, he narrowly escaped di owning. ''This," said 



l799.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 3j 

ae, " would have furnished fc.il Ihe p ftsc'^ers of 
Cliristianity with a splendid text agains^ me." On 
reaching the Arabian coast, he received a deputation 
of the Cenobite monks of Mount Sinai, who came 
to implore his protection, and to request him to in- 
scribe his name on the ancient register of their 
charters, with which he complied. 

Having quitted Suez on the 30th December, 
1798, he proceeded in a northerly direction, and 
discovered, at the distance of two leagues and a 
half, some vestiges of the entrance of the canal of 
Suez. He rested at the fort of Adjeroud on the 
following day, at the distance often leagues in the 
desert, and on the 1st of January, 1799, he arrived 
at Belbeis ; on the 3d, he advanced to the Oasis of 
Mount Horeb, where he discovered further remains 
of the canal of Suez ; this was near its entrance 
into the irrigated and fruitfiil lands of Egypt. He 
traced the course of the canal for the space of 
several leagues, and ascertained that some extraor- 
dinary change has altered the level of the Mediter- 
ranean, since that is twenty-four feet lower than 
the Red Sea. 

About the 17th of March, 1799, Napoleon, after 
having defeated the Mamelukes, and taken posses- I 

eion of Alexandria and Cairo, led a detachment of I 

12,000 men ii}to Palestme, with the inte ption, it 
has been said, of taking possession of Jerusalem, 
and restoring the Jews. Acre is a small town on 
the sea-coast, thirty-seven miles north of Jerusalem. 
To this town, which was wretchedly fortified, and 
garrisoned only by a few Turks, he laid siege in 
form, and the governor would have surrendered at 
discretion, had he not been assisted by Sir Sidney 
©juitii, and severaJ ships of war, to niake a vigorous 



B2 siiSMOiRs OF [1799 

fesislanee. By thf3 persevering' valour of the Brit- 
ish, and the brute force of their semi-barbarous al- 
lies, Bonaparte was detained before Acre sixty-nine 
days. Foiled in eleven different attempts to carry 
the place by assault, and losing upon an average 
sixty men a day, he was ultimately obliged to re- 
treat. 

At this siege a shell, thrown by Sir Sidney Smit.'i, 
fell close at Bonaparte's feet. Two soldiers, who 
v/ere near him, seized and closely embraced him 
before and behind, making a rampart of their bodies 
against the effects of the shell, which exploded, and 
overwhelmed them all with sand. Neither of these 
soldiers were wounded. 

Napoleon travelled on a dromedary the greater 
part of the way through the desert to Syria. The 
dromedary regiments, formed by the general, were 
very destructive to the Arabs ; but, though he i:^ not 
a beast of draught, but only of burden, the French 
in Syria were skilful enough to yoke him to their 
field-pieces. 

After experiencing tatigues almost incredible, he 
gave orders for the departure of the army, and the 
15th of June they arrived at Cairo. 

Sir Sidney Smith dispersed proclamations among 
the French troops, which certainly shook the faith 
of some of them ; and Bonaparte in consequence 
published an order, stating that he was mad. 

At St. Jean d'Acre the general-in-chief lost Caf- 
farelli, of whom he was extremely fond. Caff-irolM, 
who entertained a kind of reverential respect for 
N^apoleon, was delirious several days before his 
death ; yet, when the latter visited him, the an- 
nouncement of his name seemed to recall nim to 
^fe ; he became more collected, his spirits revived 



l7 99.j NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 81 

and ]ie conversed coherently ; but always relai>sed 
into his former state when Napoleon left him. 

About this time a scene of a new kind took place, 
aid which occasioned a revolt in the province of 
E^khyreh. A man, who came from the interior of 
Africa, landed at Deruch. and when he arrived he 
assembled the Arabs together, telling them he was 
"ihe angel El-Mahdy, spoken of in the Koran by 
the prophets. Two hundred Meyhrebyns arrived 
some days after, as if by chance, and ranged them- 
selves under his command. It had been prophesied 
that the angel El-Mahdy was to come down from 
heaven, and this impostor pretended that he de- 
scended in the midst of the desert. Though he 
appeared naked and destitute, he distributed gold 
in abundance, which he had the art of concealing. 
The sole nourishment he seemed to take, was from 
dipping his fingers every morning into a bowl of 
milk, and then putting them to his lips : he went to 
Damenhour, surprised sixty men belonging to the 
Nautical Legion, that had been imprudently left 
there, instead of being placed in the redoubt of 
Rhamania, and strangled them ali : encouraged by 
this success, he heated the imagination of his dis- 
ciples, and he boasted that, by throwing a little dust 
on our guns, he could prevent the powder from tak- 
ing fire, and cause the shot to fall harmless before 
the true believers. A hundred such miracles were 
attested by his followers to have been performed 
by him every day. 

The angel El-Mahdy, wounded in several places, 
felt his .".eal much abated ; he hid himself in the 
wilderness, where he was yet surrounded by man^^ 
of his disciples, for the heads of fanatics are gene 
%Jlj bereft of ths organs of reason. 



44 



MEMOIRS OF 



p799 



As to the charge of shooting three or four thoa 
sand Turks some days after the taking of Jaffa, Na- 
poleon said there were not so many ; they did not 
amoimt to more than 1000 or 1200. The reason 
was, that, amongst the garrison of Jaffa, a number 
of Turkish troops were discovered, taken a short 
time before at El Arish, and sent to Bagdat upou 
their parole not to serve again ; but these Turks, 
instead of proceeding to Bagdat, threw themselves 
into Jaffa. However, before Bonaparte attacked 
Jaffa, he sent an officer bearing a flag of truce, 
whose head immediately afterwards they saw ele-- 
vated on a pole over the wall. Now, if spared again 
he inferred the same Turks would have gone to ^t 
Jean d'Acre, and played the same part over again : 
therefore, in justice to the lives of his soldiers, he 
could not act otherwise than as he did : he there- 
ore availed himself of the rights of war. 

Previous to leaving Jaffa, seven or eight men 
were found so dangerously ill, as not to admit the 
possibility of their recovery ; they had the plague, 
and might spread the infection. Some of them, 
perceiving that they were to be abandoned, ear- 
nestly entreated to be put to death. Baron Laney, 
T,he chief surgeon, who knew they could not sur- 
vive many hours, thought it would be an act oi 
cliarity to comply with their desires. Desgenettes 
did not approve of this, saying his profession was 
.o cure the sick, not to despatch them. At length, 
ficcording to Larrey's suggestion, a rear guard of 
four or five hundred cavalry were ordered to remain 
beJiind, to prevent these unfortunate men from be- 
ing tortured by the Turks. The story of poisoning 
k supposed to have originated in somt^thing said 
" Desgenettes, afterwards misconceived or intcor 



_J 



J 799. 1 N4POLEON BONAPARTE. Sb 

recti) reported. " Do you think," said Napoleoi) 
to Mr. O'Meara, "that if I had been capable of se- 
cretly poisoning my soldiers, or of such barbarity 
as drawing my carriage over the dead, and the still 
bleeding bodies of the woundevl, that my troopa 
would have fought for me with an enthusiasm and 
affection without parallel. No, no ; I never should 
have fought a second time. Even some of the 
wounded, with strength enough left to pull a trig- 
ger, would have despatched me." 

Napoleon became so popular among some of the 
Egyptians, that they gave him the name of Sultan 
Keber (Father of the Fire.) He always shared the 
fatigues of the army ; and their privations were some- 
times so great, that they were compelled to contend 
with each other for the smallest comforts. Once, 
in the desert, the soldiers would scarcely allow the 
general to dip his hands in a muddy stream of wa- 
ter. Passing the ruins of Pelusium, almost suffo- 
;;ated with the heat, a soldier gave up to him a frag- 
ment of an ancient door- way, beneath wiiich he 
contrived to shade his head for- a few minutes ; 
'' and this," said Napoleon, " was no trifling favour." 
The discontent of the French troops 1n Egypt. 
which was at times very high, was happily spent in 
jokes and sarcasms. General Caffarelli, supposed 
to have been one of the promoters of the expedi- 
tion, was by no means liked. He had a wooden 
leg, having lost the other on the banks of the Rhine. 
Whenever the soldiers saw him hobbling along, they 
would say, loud enough for him to hear, " That 
fellow cares for nothing amongst us : he is certain 
haf)pen what may, to have one leg in Fiance " 

In reference to the six or seven acres ol land 
'^n Bonaparte had promised his t'oops on his iJe 

-OL. I. 8 



86 



MEMOIRS OF 



ri79*i 



paiture from France, when they afterwards found 
tnemselves in the midst of the desert, surrounded 
hy the boundless ocean of sand, they pretended to 
cheer one another with a view of it ; they said theii 
general "had been very moderate in promising sc 
little ; he might have made us a more unlimited of 
fer ; we should not abuse his good nature." On theii 
first entering the desert, they called to one another 
to look at the six acres awarded to each of them by 
the government. 

But though the devotedness and attachment of 
the army of Egypt had evidently performed so much 
for their general-in-chief, we have his own author- 
ity for asserting, that no army was less fit for that 
quarter of the world. It would be difficult to de- 
scribe the disgust, the discontent, the melancholy, 
the despair of that army, on its first arrival in Egypt. 
Bonaparte saw two dragoons rush out of the ranks, 
and throw themselves into the Nile. Benrand had 
seen the most distinguished generals, such as Lan- 
nes and Murat, in momentary fits of rage, throw 
their laced hats in the sand, and trample on them. 
" This army," said Napoleon, " had been satiated 
with wealth, rank, pleasure, and consideration ; they 
were not fit for the deserts and fatigues of Egypt." 
More than one conspiracy was formed to carry away 
the flags from Alexandria, and other things of the 
same sort. The influence, the character, and the 
g'lory of the general, could alone restrain the troops. 
One day, JMapoleon, losing his temper in his turn, 
rushed among a group of discontented generals, 
Bnd, addressing himself to the tallest, said, " You 
•i^.ve held mutinous language ; take care that I 
don't fulfil my duty ; your five foot ten should no' 
«£.YS you from being shot in a couple »f hours " 



f — 



f799.j NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 87 

Las Canes says, the French force, at its laiiding 

in Egypt, amounted to 30,000 men: it was au^- 

o:ented by the wrecks of the naval battle of the 

Nile, and some partial arrivals from France, and 

yet the total loss of the army amounted only to 

eight thousand nine hundred and fifteen ; viz.— 

Killed in battle - - - 3614 

Died of their wounds - - 854 

Died through various accidents 290 

Died from common disorders - 2468 

Died from the pestilential fever 1689 

Total - 8916 
The address and the justice of Napoleon, consid- 
ered as a conqueror, had wonderfully attached the 
Mahometans in Egypt to his interest. In a letter 
written to him by tJie sherif of Mecca, he is styled, 
" The protector of the holy Kaaba." 

On the 22d of August, 1799, he received a lettei 
from Admiral Gantheaume, informing him that the 
English and Turkish fleets had sailed. A journey 
into the Delta was immediately spoken of at head- 
quarters. Bonaparte would be absent, it was said 
only a few days ; his object being to visit that fer- 
tile part of Egypt, and promote the establishment 
of canals, which had been so long neglected. 

In writing to the Divan, and announcing his de- 
parture, he said, "remind the Mussulmen frequently 
of my love for them. Acquaint them that I have 
two great means to conduct men — persuasion and 
force ; with the one I gain friends, and with the 
other I destroy my enemies." Upon General KU 
ber he conferred the command of the f my. On 
the 23d of August, 1799, accompanied hy the Gen 
??Ek Ber*hier, Murat. Cannes, and MarmrnU ho 



^8 



MEMOIRS O^ 



[Mm 



embarked on board t'le frigates La Muiron and La 
Carere, leaving the following proclamation behind 
him : 

" Soldiers ! The affairs of Europe recall me tc 
France. I leave the command of the army to Gen- 
eral Kleber. The army shall soon have intelligence 
of me. It is painful to leave soldiers to whom I am 
so much attached ; but it shall not be for long. The 
general, whom I have left with them, possesses both 
my confidence and that of government." 

When Bonaparte embarked, an English cutter 
vvas in sight of the two frigates ; the officers who 
accompanied him drew the most dismal presages 
from this circumstance, and said it would be diffi- 
cult to escape the vigilance of the enemy. — " True !' 
exclaimed Bonaparte ; " but we shall arrive— For- 
tune has never abandoned us ; we shall arrive in 
spite of the English." They set sail in the night, 
and Gantheaume, perfect master of his manceuvres, 
ranged along the coast of Africa., choosing a longer, 
but more certain route of navigation. 

On the 30th of September, 1799, the two frig- 
ates entered the Gulf of Ajaccio. Whilst lying to 
for 3 boat they had sent in, a sudden squall obliged 
them to come to anchor in the gulf, in the native 
country of Bonaparte. He was thought to have 
been dead ; and when chance thus brought him 
home, nothing could be more touching than the re 
ception he experienced: the batteries saluted on 
all sides ; the whole population rushed to the boats, 
ind surrounded the French frigates ; the public en- 
thusiasm had even triumphed over tie fear of infeC' 
tion, and the vessel? were immediately boarded by 
crowds, crying out to Bonaparte, " It is we that 

4' V© the plague, and must owe our deliverance tf 



t7y9 ] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 89 

you." Heie Bonaparte learned, that the fruits o' 
all his triumphant victories in Italy had been lost in 
two battles ; that the Russians were unon ths 
French frontiers, and that confusion and dismay 
reigned in the interior. 

On the 8th of October, being in sight of the coast 
»f France, they perceived an English fleet of frojx. 
pight to ten sail. Admiral Gantheaume was desi- 
-ous to tack about immediately, and return to 
Corsica. — "No, no," said Bonaparte, "that manoBu- 
f re would conduct us to England ; and my will is 
lo arrive in France. On the 9th of October, 1799, 
Bonaparte disembarked near Frejus, in the south of 
France, after a surprising voyage of forty-one days, 
and upon a sea covered with the enemy's ships. 
tiere he landed without having performed the cus- 
tomary duty of quarantine, and arrived at Paris on 
the 16th of October. Nothing could have been more 
unexpected than this arrival. From the first mo- 
ment it occurred, the news of it spread with the 
rapidity of lightning. Scarcely had the flag of a 
commander-in-chief been displayed, when the shore 
about Frejus was covered v/ith people, who, in ac- 
cents of the most intense desire, exclaimed, " Bona- 
parte I" France herself poured forth her thousands 
oefore him who was destined to restore her splen- 
dour, and already, from her frontiers, anticipated 
from him the revenge of Marengo. 

Bonaparte, whilst in Egypt, it seems, had received 
presents from the queen of Darfour, and had sent 
her some in return. Had he remained longer, he 
said he would certainly have carried our geographi- 
cal investigations into the northern district of Afri 
ca to a great extent, and that by the simplest 
"^eins, merely by placing in each caraTan some io 



w 



MEMOIRS OP 



[1793 



telligont officers, for whom he would have Droc.ured 
hostages. 

He had several plans in contemplation, for mak- 
ing canals in Egypt. He intended to have made 
two ; one from the Red Sea to the NUe at Cairo 
and the other to the Mediterranean. He had the 
Red Sea surveyed, and found that its waters were 
thirty feet higher than the Mediterranean when 
they were highest, but only twenty-four at the 
lowest. His plan was, to have prevented any water 
from flowing into the canal, unless at low water, 
and this, in the course of a distance of thirty 
leagues, in its passage to the Mediterranean, would 
have been of little consequence. Besides, he would 
have had some sluices made. The Nile was seven 
feet lower than the Red Sea when at its lowest, 
but fourteen feet higher during the inundaiion 
The expense was calculated at eighteen miilk)ii3 f» 
*7ancs, and two years' iabosi,?. 



1799.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 8i 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Comequenccs of Napoleon's Absence in Egypt — Weakness and Th 
vision in iue Gnvenimetit — Napoleon's S./periority in the Cabi 
net — AppoisUed to the Comnmnd of the Troops charged with re 
ston.ng the Tranquillity of Paris — Presents hhnselfto the Coun- 
cil of Ancients — T/w Dispersion and Resignation of che Di- 
rectory — The Council of Five Hundred adjourn to St. Cloud — A 
Storm in the Courwil oj Ancients — Entrance and Speech of Napo- 
leon — Condemnation of tJie Constitution of the Year III — Violent 
Proceedings in the Council of Fire Hundred — Lucim Bona 
parte in personal Danger — Rescued by Napoleon and his Grena 
diers — Speech of Lucien — Tlie Dispersion of the Council oj 
Fire ^ Hundred — Formation of tlie new Government and Coi 
stitution. 

Dlring Bonaparte's absence in Eg-ypt, it is well 
inown how much Franco missed his military genius, 
md with what rapturous acclamations he was hail- 
ed on his return. No one who recollected the sen 
sation produced by his sudden appearance at Frejus, 
ike a spirit welcomed from another world, could be 
surprised at tho celebrity and triumph of his sub- 
sequent career on his return from Elba. His re 
sumption of power at the former period was, taking 
it altogether, the more wonderful of the two. He 
was then still a young man. France, no doubt, was 
in want of a stronger and regenerated government ; 
but still, to establish this, it reqrired unparalleled 
boldness, and a popularity among a nation of thirty 
millions, which not more than two or three irdivid- 
aals have ever obtained in the whole history of the 
orld. Though France was divided by factions, 
vet she had still men of pre-eminent abilities. 
Tiiere was Roederer. eloquent and trusted for pat- 



B"! MEMOIRS OF [179*" 

riotisni ; there were Barras and Fouch6, who haa 
each great influence. There were, besides, a hu«t 
of fojmidable politicians : Talleyrand, who alone had 
s<igacity to have guided a kingdom in ordinary 
circumstances: there were Moreau, Bernadotte, Ai - 
gercau, and others of high military name; and Sic- 
yes, the cunning and reserved, whose talents were so 
esteemed by Mirabeau, that, in a debate on a great 
object, he once declared the silence (f Sieyes to 
be a national calamity. It is quite obvious, how- 
ever, that all these men, who in other circumstances 
would have been primary combatants for supreme 
power, dimmed their ineffectual ray, and bowed 
their heads to the influence of Bonaparte, from the 
moment it was supposed that a change in the 
government was to be expected. He met with 
them separately ; he heard their proposals ; he com 
mitted himself to none of them. If he could be 
said to join any thing like a party, it v/as that of 
Sieyes ; but, until the moment that he was ready to 
strike the blow of usurpation, he kept them all in 
suspense. Having matured his plans, he called them 
together on the 18th of Brumaire, 9th and 10th of 
November, 1799, and produced one of the most 
important revolutions recorded in history. His in- 
fluence over ti.ose around him seemed equally elec- 
tric and irresistible, whether it put in motion the 
metaphysics of Sieyes or the drumsticks that beat 
the charge on the Council of Five Hundred. 

In fact, many weighty motives existed for effect- 
ing a change at this critical period, which might 
have operated upon the mind of Bonaparte, or any 
other chief who had the good of his country at 
heart. He found its government enfeebled to the 
til lost imp^ tenee of childhood, the prey ot perpetu- 



1799.] NAPOLEON I*ONAPARTE. ii3 

al caprice and revolutions. He found i w Ihout aii 
army, and without the resources for pr< curing- one 
He found all public spirit evaporated, and the peo- 
ple in a state of civil war with each other. But, 
what was most wounding to the becoming pride of 
a warrior, he found ^11 the conquests he had gained 
in Europe nearly wrested from his country, and 
subject to the severe requisitions of those armies he 
had discomfited. 

Let us now mark the reverse : by a blow equally 
illegal, but equaliy necessary, he boldly put himself 
in possession of the supreme power, and in six 
months he new modelled the constitution, revived 
the national credit, re-animated the public spirit, 
and from every quarter concentrated the abilitiea 
of every man of talent and courage ; subdued everj 
civil insurrection, and in six weeks, by gaining the 
battle of Marengo, re-conquered all that had beer 
lost. Never was a campaign so well planned and 
BO completely executed. 

But that man must know the character of Na- 
poleon very imperfectly, who may consider him 
only at the head of armies ; for so superior and 
universal was his genms, that he was able to acquit 
himself of the various functions of government with 
glory. He shone as conspicuously in the cabinet 
as in the field, "n a word, he united in his own 
person the various talents and professions of tLe 
sword, the gown, and the finances. 

The Council of Ancients, naving transferred the 
sittings of the legislative body to St. Cloud, order- 
ed them to assemble theie on the 19th of Brumaiie. 
General Bonaparte, who, they imagined, w^as wholly 
iij their interest, was charged with the execution of 

a 



94 



MKMOIRS OP 



17t«^ 



the decree for the safety of the national represen 
tation. 

This decree was made at eight o'clock ; and at 
half-paat eight, the state messenger who was the 
bearer of it arrived at the house of Napoleon. He 
f )imd the avenues filled with the officers of the gar- 
rison, adjutants of the National Guard, generals, 
and the three regimeT^^s of cavalry. Napoleon had 
tlie folding doors opened ; and his house being too 
small to contain so many persons, he came forward 
on the steps in front of it, received the compliments 
of the officers, harangued them, and told them that 
he relied upon them all for the salvation of Franco 
At the same time he gave them to understand, that 
the Council of Ancients, under the authority of 
the constitution, had just conferred on him the com- 
mand of all the troops; that important measures 
were in agitation, designed to rescue the country 
from its alarming situation ; that he relied upon 
their support and good will ; and that he was at 
that moment going to mount his horse to ride to the 
Tuilleries. 

Enthusiasm bemg wound up, all the officers drew 
their swords, and promised their service and fidelity. 
Napoleon then turned towards Lefevre, demanding 
whether he would remain with him or return to the 
Directory. Lefevre, powerfully affected, did not 
hogitate. Napoleon instantly mounted, and placed 
himself at the head of the generals and officers, and 
1500 horse, whom he halted upon the Boulevard, at 
the corner of the street of Mont Blanc. He gave 
orders to the adjutants of the National Guard to re* 
turn to their quarters and beat the generate, to com- 
municate the decree they had just heard, and -t* 



^799. 1 NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. ?a 

aRnoimce, that no orders were to be obdorved jul 
such as should emanate from him. 

Napoleon presented himself at the bar of the 
Co-'ncil of Ancients, attended by this brilliant es- 
cort " You are the wisdom of the nation," said 
he ; " at this crisis it belongs to you to point out 
the measures which may save the country : I come, 
surrounded by all the g-enerals, to promise you their 
support. I appoint General Levefre my lieuten- 
ant : I will faithfully fulfil the task with which you 
have intrusted me : lei us not look into the past for 
examples of what is now going" on. Nothing in 
history resembles the end of the eighteenth cen- 
tury ; nothing in the eighteenth century resembles 
the present moment." 

All the troops, were mustered at the Tuilleries 
Napoleon reviewed them, amidst the unanimous ac- 
clamations of both citizens and soldiers. He gave 
the command of the troops intrusted with the pro- 
tection of the legislative body to General Lannes ; 
and to General Murat the command of those sent 
to St. Cloud. 

He deputed General Moreau to guard the Lux- 
embourg ; and, for this purpose, he placed under 
his orders 500 men of the 86th regiment. But, at 
the moment of settnig off, these troops refused to 
obey : they had no confidence m Moreau, who was 
not, tliey said, a patriot. Napoleon was obliged 
to harangue them, assuring them that Moreau 
would act uprightly. Moreau had become suspected 
through his conduct at a former period. 

The intelligence that Napoleon was at the Tuil- 
leries, and that he alone was to be obeyed, quicklj 
spreac through the capital : the people flow to th€ 
Puilieries in crowds; some led by mere ruriositjf 



96 MEMOIRS OP [1799 

to behold so renowned a general, others by patri 
otic enthusiasm to offer him their support. Tli« 
following proclamation was every where posted: 

" Citizens 1 The Council of Ancients, the deposi 
tory of the national wisdom, has just pronounced a 
decree ; for this it has authority from articles 103 
a.nd 103 of the act of the constitution : it imposes 
upon me the duty of taking measures for the safety 
of the national representation. The immediate re 
moval of the representation is necessary ; the le 
gislative body will then find itself in a condition to 
rescue the republic from the danger into which iiie 
disorganization of all branches of the administra 
tion is conducting us. At this imp-ortant crisis i" 
requires union and confidence. Rally round it 
there is no other method of fixing the republic upor 
the basis of civil liberty, internal happiness, victory 
and peace." 

Napoleon now sent an aid-de-camp to the guards 
of the Directory, for the purpose of communicating 
the decree to them, and enjoining them to receive 
no order but from him. The guard sounded to 
horse, the commanding officer consulted his soldiers : 
they answered by shouts of joy. At this very mo- 
ment, an order from the Directory, contrary to that 
of Napoleon, arrived ; but the soldiers, obeying only 
Napoleon's commands, marched to join him. Sieyea 
and Roger Ducos had been ever since the morning 
at the Tuille^ies. It is said that Barras, on seeing 
Sieyes mount his horse, ridiculed the awkwardness 
of the unpractised equestrian: he little suspected 
where they were going. Being shortly afler ap- 
prized of the decree, he joined Gohier and Moulins^ 
they then learned tbat the troops followed Napo- 
bon : thev <«nw that even their own guard forsool 



1799. 



NAPOJ.EON BOlSArAK""- 



them ! Upon tJiat Moulins went to the 1 u;ileiies, 
and gave in his resignation, as Sieyes and Rogei 
Duces had already done. Boutot, the secretary of 
Barras, went to Napoleon, who warmly expressed 
his indignation at the peculations which had ruined 
*he republic, and insisted that Barras shoLld resign. 
Boutot gave him Barras's resignation, and asked 
him, in a low voice, what hope he might entertain 
from him. "Tell that man," replied Bonaparte, 
" that I will not see him again, and that I am well 
enabled to command due respect to the authority 
intrusted to me." Then, raising his voice loud 
enough to be heard even into the anti-chamber, 
he continued thus to address Boutot, the astonished 
secretary to Barras-. "What have you done," said 
he, "with the country I left so flourishing ? I left 
you in peace, and I have found you at war : I left 
you victory, and I have found defeat : I left you 
conquest, and the enemy are passing our frontiers . 
I left you the treasures of Italy, and I find nothing 
but oppression and poverty. Where are the 100,000 
heroes, my companions in arms, whom I left cover- 
ed with glory? What is become of them? Alas! 
they are no more. This state of things cannot 
ontinue ; in three years it will end in despotism ; 
but we will have a republic founded on the basis 
of civil liberty, equality, and political toleration," 

Talbyrand then hastened to the ex- director, -ind 
related this. Barras removed to Gros-Bois, ac- 
companied by a guard of honour of dragoons. 
Prom that moment the Directory was dissolved, and 
Napoxon alone was invested with the executive 
power of the lepublic. 

In the mean time, the Council of Five Himdreo 
had met, under the presidency of Lucien. Th« 

vol.. I. 9 



»s 



memoir:^ O^i" 



1739 



constitution v/as explicit; the ddee of the Coun- 
cil of Ancients was consistent with its privileg-e 
there was no ground for oujtction. The Members 
of the council, in passing through the streets of 
Paris, and through the Tuilleries, had learnt the 
occurrences which were taking place, and witnessed 
the enthusiasm of the public. They were astonish- 
ed and confounded at the ferment around them. 
They submitted to necessity, and adjourned their 
sittings to the next day, the 19th, at St. Cloud. 

At length, after nearly two days' delay, they met, 
and opened their sittings. M. Gaudine ascended 
the tribune, painted in lively colours the dangers of 
the country, and proposed thanks to the Council of 
Ancients, for the measures of public safety they 
had set on foot ; and that they should be invited, by 
message, to explain their intentions fully. At the 
same time, he proposed to appoint a committee of 
seven persons to make a report upon the state of 
the republic. 

The furious rushing forth of the winds enclosed 
in the caverns of Eolus, never raised a more raging 
storm. The speaker was violeiitly hurled to the 
bottom of the tribune. The ferment became ex- 
cessive. 

Delbred desired that the members should swear 
anew to the constitution of the year III. Chenier, 
Lucien, Boulay, trembled. The chamber proceed- 
ed to the appel nominal. 

During tlic appel nominal, which 'asted more 
than two hours, reports of what was passing were 
circulated through the capital. The leaders of the 
assembly, du manege, the tricoteases, »&c. hastened 
dp. Jourdan and Augereau had kept out of tho 
w&y believing Napoleon lost, they made all hastf 



•^i'QS.] NAPOLEON BoNaPARTR. 9JI 

to Sl Ctuidd. Aug-ereau drew near to Napokion. 
and said, " Well, here you are in a pretty situa- 
uon!" — -^Augereau," replied Napoleon, "remembef 
Arcoie : matters appeared much more desperate 
there. Take my advice, and remain quiet, if you 
would not fall d ViCtim to this confusion. In half 
an hour you will see what turn affairs will have 
iaken." 

The assembly ap}>eared to declare itself with so 
-nuch unanimity, that no deputy durst refuse to 
wear to the constitution: even Lucien himself was 
compelled to swear. Shouts and cries of "Bravo!" 
were heard throughout the chamber. The moment. 
vvas critical. Many members, on taking the oath, 
added observations. All minds were in a state of 
suspense ; the zealous became neuter ; the timid 
deserted their post. Not an instant was to be lost. 
Napoleon crossed the saloon of Mars, entered the 
Council of Ancients, and placed himself at the bar 
opposite to the president. " You stand," said he, 
" upon a volcano ; the republic no longer possesses 
a government ; the Directory is dissolved ; faction 
is at work ; the hour of decision is come. You 
have called in my arm, and the arms of my com- 
rades, to the support of your wisdom : but the mo- 
ments are precious ; it is necessary to take; an 
ostensible part. I know that Caesar and Cromwell 
are talked ef, as if this day could be compared with 
past times. No; I desire nothing but the safety 
of the republic, and to maintain the resolutions U) 
which you are about to come. And you, grena- 
diers, whise caps I perceive at the door of this 
hall — speak! Have I ever deceived you? Did ] 
'^ver forfeit my word when, in camp, in the raidet of 
jrivations, I promised you victor} and plenty; v.nd 



.00 



MEMOIRS OF 



[1799 



tvhen, at your head, I led you from conquest to con 
quest? Now say, was it for my own aggrandize- 
ment, 01 for the interest of the republic !" 

The grenadiers were electrified ; and, waving 
their caps and arms in the air, they all seemed to 
say, " Yes, true, true ; he always kept his word ?" 

Upon this a member (Linglet) rose, and said with 
a loud voice, " General, we applaud what you say ; 
swear then, with us, obedience to the constitution 
of the year III, which alone can save the republic.'' 

The astonishment caused by these words pro- 
duced a profound silence. 

Napoleon recollected himself for a moment ; and 
then went on again emphatically : " The constitu- 
tion of the year III ! — you have it no longer ; you 
violated it on the eighteenth of Fructidor, when 
the government infringed on the independence of 
She legislative body; you violated it on the thir- 
teenth of Prairial, in the year VII, when the le- 
gislative body struck at the independence of the 
government ; you violated it on the twenty-second 
of Floreal, when, by a sacrilegious decree, the gov- 
ernment and the legislative body invaded the 
sovereignty of the people, by annulling the elec- 
tions made by them. The constitution being vio- 
lated, there must be a new compact, new guaran 
tees." 

The force of this speech, and the energy of the 
general, brought over three fourths of the mem- 
bers of the council, who rose to indicate their ap- 
probation. Cornudet and Regnier spoke power- 
fully to the same effect. A member rose in oppo- 
sition ; be denounced the general^ as the only con- 
epirat/:)r against public liberty. Napoleon inter- 
upted the orator, and declared that he was in th« 



1799.] NAPOI-EON BONA.PARTE. iOl 

Btcret of eyery party, and that all despised the con- 
stitution of the year III ; that the only difference 
existing between them was, that some desired tc 
have a moderate republic, in v/hich all the national 
mterests, and all the property should be guaran- 
tied ; while, on the other hand, the others wisned 
for a revolutionary government, as warranted by 
the dangers of the country. At this moment Na- 
poleon was informed that the appel nominal war 
terminated in the Council of Five Hundred, and 
that they were endeavouring to force the president 
Lucien to put the outlawry of his brother to th^ 
vote. Napoleon immediately hastened to the coun- 
cil, entered the chamber with his hat off, and or- 
dered the officers and soldiers wKo accompanied 
him to remain at the doors : he was desirous to pre ' 
sent himself at the bar, to rally his party, which 
was numerous, but which had lost all unity and res- 
olution. But, to get to the bar, it was necessary to 
cross half the chamber, because the president had 
his seat on one of the wings. As Napoleon ad- 
vanced, two or three hundred members suddenly 
rose, crying, " Death to the tyrant ! Down with the 
dictator !" 

Two grenadiers, who, by the order of the gene- 
ral, had remained at the door, and who hiad reluc- 
tantly obeyed, saying to him, " You do not know 
them ; they are capable of any thing !" rushed in, 
sabre in hand, overthrowing all that opposed thoii 
passage, to join their general, and cc^ er him with 
their bodies. All the other grenadiers followed 
this example, and forced Napoleon out of the cham 
ber. In the confusion, one of them, named Thom6 
was slightly wounded by the tlirust of a dagger 
and the clo-hes of another were cut through. 
9* 



(02 MEMOIRS OF [17 



9?- 



The general descended into the court-yard, call- 
ed the troops into a circle by beat of drum, got on 
horseback, and harangued them : " I was about," said 
he, " to point out to them the .neans of saving the re 
public, and restoring our glory ; they answered me 
with their daggers. It was thus they would have 
accomplished the wishes of the allied kings. What 
more could England have done ^ Soldiers, may 1 
rely upon you ?'' 

Unanimous acclamatiors formed the reply to this 
speech. Napoleon instantly ordered a captain to 
go with ten men into the chamber of the Five Hun- 
dred, and to liberate the president. 

Lucien had just thrown off his robe. " Wretches," 
exclaimed he, " you insist that I should put out of 
the protection of the laws my brother, the saviour 
of the counter, him whose very name causes kings 
to tremble ! I lay aside the insignia of the popu- 
lar magistracy : I offer myself in the tribune as the 
defender of him, whom you command me to immo- 
late unheard." 

Thus saying, he quitted the chair, and darted into 
the tribune. The officer of grenadiers then pre 
sented himself at the door of the chamber, exclaim- 
ing, " Vive la Republique /" It was supposed that 
the troops were sending a deputation to express 
their devotion to the councils. The captain was 
received with a joyful expression of feeling. lie 
availed himself of the misapprehension, approached 
the tribune, and secured the president, saying to 
him in a low voice, " It is your brother's order :" 
the grenadiers at the same time shouted, " Down 
with the assassins !" 

Upon these Liclamations the triumph of the mem- 
bers was converted into a gloomy silence (vhicb 



L 



5799. 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



103 



testified the dejection of the whole assembly. Na 
opposition was offered to th: departure of the presi- 
dent, who lefl the chamber, rushed into the courli 
yard^ mounted a horse, and cried out in his sten<"o- 
rian voice, " General — and you, soldiers — the presi- 
dent of the Council of Five Hundred proclaims to 
you, tliat factious men, with drawn daggers, have 
interrupted the deliberations of that assembly. He 
calls upon you to employ force against these dis- 
turbers. The Council of Five Hundred is dis- 
solved !" 

" President," replied the general, " it shall be 
done." 

He then ordered Murat into the chamber, at the 
head of a detachment in close column. Murat pre- 
sented himself at the door, and summoned the coun- 
cil to disperse ; shouts and vociferations followed. 
Colonel Moulins, aid-de-camp of Brune, who had 
just arrived from Holland, ordered the charge to be 
beaten. The order was given, and the troops 
marched forward to execute it. The chamber of 
the council was still the seat of uprcar, confusion 
and anarchy. A thousand motions bad succeeded 
each other, every one struggling to gain preceden- 
cy for his opinion, and the assembly was in its wild- 
est state, when the sound of the pas de charge, the 
charging step, was heard. The noise of the drum 
soon suspended that of the debate, and the surprised 
orators eagerly darted their looks towards the place 
from whence the unwelcome sound proceeded. The 
soldiers appeared, preceded by officers, one of whom 
invited the deputies to clear the hall. Invec '-ea 
and remonstrances were poured out with all 3 
volubility of utterance, but these weapons had t 
all their edge The soldiers were deaf tc evert 



104 



MEMOIRS OF 



[179t 



thing but the orders they had received. The dep 
uties leaped out of the windows, and dispersed, 
leaving theif gowns, caps, &c. ; in one moment the 
chamber was empty. Those members of the 
council, who had shown most pertinacity, fled will 
the utmost precipitation to Paris. 

The first imperfect intelligence of these events 
had filled the metropolis with apprehensions ; but no 
sooner Nere the Parisians in possession of the whole, 
and its probable results, than they were overjoyed. 
The overthrow of the Directory appeared to them 
as tantamount to the subversion of jacobinism and 
anarchy. They now cherished the hope of a new 
and better government, founded on the principles 
of justice and humanity. The Council of Ancients, 
animated by the same desires, issued a decree to 
the following effect : — " In consideration of the re 
treat of the Council of Five Hundred, and the re- 
signation of four of the Directory, the fifth, Gohi- 
er, being confined, a temporary executive commis- 
Mon of three members shall be appointed. The 
legislature is adjourned to the first of Nivose next, 
(December 21st,) when it will again assemble in Par- 
is without further delay. During the recess there 
will be an intermedial commission of the Council 
of the Ancients, in order to protect the rights of 
the national representation. The sitting is ad- 
journed till nine o'clock in the evening of this day 
when the council shall proceed to the appointment 
of the committee." 

On the same evening, the Council of Five H 
dred and that of the Ancients again assembled 
their chambers ; but tlie former, from which tht 
jacobins had withdrawn, now appeared of a very 
differfjnt complexion from that which it had vorn it 



1799.] NAPOLEOM BONAPARTE. 105 

the early part of the day. Lucien Bonaparte, then 
president, congratulated the members present on 
the deliverance they had obtained fiom the domin- 
ion of the demagogues and assassins. The presi- 
dent then proposed a resolution to the effect, " that 
General Bonaparte, the other generals and officers^ 
as well as the troops, had deserved well of their 
country." 

This, carried without opposition, was succeeded 
by a proposal from Chasal, one of the deputies, thai 
a committee of five should be appointed to consider 
the propriety of forming a new government ; on 
which the president, mounting a tribune, pronounc 
ed an animated harangue on the disasters of the 
republic, arising from the misconduct of the late 
government ; and enlarged upon the profligacy and 
incapacity of the Directory, on the defects of the 
constitution itself, and on the necessity of a strong 
legislative power, capable of giving solidity to the 
state, and preventing the return of anarchy. The 
council then decreed, that the executive Directory 
no longer existed ; that certain deputies, to the 
number of sixty-one, particularly in the sitting of 
that morning, were no longer members of the na- 
tional representation ; that an executive consular 
committee should be provisionally appointed, con- 
sisting of citizens Sieyes and Rcger Ducos, ex-di 
rectors, and General Bonaparto, under the designa- 
tion of consuls of the French republic ; that they 
should be invested with the full -cowers of the Di- 
rectory ; that the two councils should each name 
twenty-five commissioners charged to prepare the 
changes in the organic dispositions of tl.e con 
ititution, the object of which changes was, to cod 



106 



MEJV101K.& UF 



[179a 



Bolidate, ajid guaranty ir violate, the sovereignty ot 
the people. 

This decree was instantly communicated to the 
(/ouncil of Ancients, by whom it was passed at 
midnig-ht ; on which the three consuls, being sum- 
moned to the hall of the Council of Five Hundred 
were thus addressed by the presidents : 

" Citizens ! the greatest people upon earth in- 
trust you with their destinies : within three months 
the public opinion shall judge you. Domestic hap- 
piness, general liberty, the direction of the armies, 
and peace itself, are all intrusted to you. Yon 
m-ust have courage and zeal to accept such an im- 
portant trust, and such high functions. But you. 
are supported by the confidence of the nation and 
of the armies ; and it is well known to the legisla- 
ture, that your souls are entirely devoted to the 
welfare of the people." 

The consuls then took the oath to preserve lib- 
erty and equality, and proclamations communicating 
the events of tlie 18th and 19th Brumaire, were 
promulgated in all the departments of the republic 
without delay. Thus terminated this military rev- 
olution without bloodshed. 

The three consuls entered upon their functions 
the following day at the palace of the Luxembourg ; 
and the legislative commissioners at the same time 
commenced their sittings. The repeal of the law 
imposing a forced loan, and the law of hostages, 
were the first objects of their attention ; the for- 
mer had ruined public credit, and the latter had again 
lighted up the flames of civil war in the depart- 
ments. Bonaparte succeeded in tranquilMzmg La 
Vendue, rather by lenient than coercive measures. 
Every where regularity succeeded to rouble an<* 



1799.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. lOl 

disorder. The list of the emigrants was finallj; 
closed, and the threat of proscription against the 
clergy, &c. lost much of its terror. But only eight 
'lays after this revolution, a decree was issued, 
whereby fifty-nine of the most furious and inveter- 
ate jacobins were condemned to banishment, thirty- 
seven to Guiana, and the rest to the Isle of Oleron , 
but, as tliis was merely to strike terror into the ter- 
rorists, they were only placed under the surveil- 
lance of the minister of the police. Many church- 
es were restored to their primitive use. Several 
exiled citizens were recalled, and among them Bar- 
the'lemi, Carnot, and Pastoret. Lucien Bonaparte 
was constituted minister of the interior, and M. 
Talleyrand reinstated in his office of minister for 
foreign affairs. 

At length the fabric of a new government was 
completed by the legislative commission, and ap- 
proved on the 13th of December by the consuls 
and members of the legislative committee. This 
constitution was accordingly submitted to the suf- 
frages of the public at large, and received the ex- 
press and avowed assent of upwards of three mil- 
lions of the people. On the 29th of December, 
1799, the new constitution was proclaimed at Paris 
with great solemnity, and the people, by their ac- 
clamations, seemed to cherish the hope, that this 
would confer upon them the enjoyments of tranquil- 
lity, prosperity, and peace. 

Charmed with novelty, the Parisians received the 
new constitution with delight, and viewed the pomp 
and splendour of the consular government with 
s'lrprise and self-complacency. They reasoned lit- 
ti**, but hoped much. Bonaparte was their idol, and 
from hin. alone they expected every thing-. 



108 



MEMOIRS OF 



[180C 



CHAPTER IX. 



Invasion of Italy ; Promoted by Stratagem — M. Necker — Pa» 
sage of Mould St. Bernard — Operatic^s of tJie Anny — Sur 
prise of General Melas — The French enter Milan — Proclairu^ 
tioti to the Ar7ny of Reserve — Surrender of Genoa io the Atu 
trians — Passage of the Po — Affair of Montebello — Battle & 
Marengo — Gejieral Dessaix — J\apoleon's Return to Pans — 
Letter from Louis XVIIl. — Overtures of Count d'Artois — 
Dutchess de Guirhe — Insurrections in Italy — The Emperor 
Paul abandons the Coalition — Return of French Emigrants- 
Infernal Machine. 

This year commenced with the execution of a 
project so comprehensive in its extent, and appar- 
rently so improbable in its execution, that it was not 
surprising that for a time it should have been deem- 
ed romantic, even by those who had most reason to 
dread its reality. 

The plan no doubt originated in the warlike and 
fertile brain of Napoleon ; it was designed to stop 
the career of the Austrian General Melas, whose 
recent successes in Italy required a check. It was^ 
proposed by the first consul to fall upon his reai, 
carry off his magazines, parks, and hospitals, and, 
having cut him off from Austria, to give him battle.* 
This required celerity, profound secrecy, and much 
boldness. But how was it possible to keep the 
movements of the army concealed from the numer- 
ous spies of England and Austria? The method 
preferred by the first consul, was to divulge it 
him.self with so much publicity, that it should become 
an object of derision to the enemy, and make the 
w4iole appear to be a plan to divert the Austrian 
army from the blockade of Genoa. The appoint- 
ment of the Fre\ich army of reserve was there'bre 



iSGG.j NfAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 101 

jeclared by messages to the legislative body and 
tli'=» senate, by decrees published in th3 newspa- 
j>eis, and by intimations of ail kinds. From tliesQ 
it appeared, that the point of concentration would 
be Dijon. The spies and scouts immediately di- 
rected their attention to that city, where they 
found, in the beginning of April, a large staff with- 
out a.n army ; though, in the course of a month, from 
5 to 6000 conscripts and retired soldiers arrived, 
many of whom were maimed. This army of course 
oecame the object of ridicule, and when the first 
consul himself reviewed it, on the 6th of May, people 
were astonished to see no more than 6 or 7000 
men, and the most of them not even clothed. 
These deceitful reports travelled through Geneva, 
Basle, Italy, Vienna, and Brittany. Numerous car- 
icatures were published ; one of them represented 
a boy of twelve years of age with a wooden leg, 
and underneath it was written, Bonaparte's Army 
of Reserve, 

In the mean time, the real army had been form- 
ed, and was ready to march. La Vendue was 
tranquillized, and a final end puit to the system oJ 
the Chouans, so that a considerable portion of th«^ 
army of reserve had been drawn from that country. 
The park of artillery was formed of guns and wag- 
ons sent piecemeal from various arsenals and for- 
tresses. The most difficult thing was to conceal 
the movement of the provisions indispensable for an 
array which was to cross barren mountains, where 
nothing was to be had : but even this Avas managed. 

Another ruse de guerre, used on this occasion, 
was the dissemination of a number of little bul 
letins in manuscript, in v/hich, besides many scan- 
dalous anecdotes respectinf*- *-^e first consul, i' 

VOL. I. 10 H 



ilO 



MEMOIRS OF 



[180£ 



was attempted to be proved that the array of re- 
serve did not, and could not exist; that from 12 tJ 
15,000 conscripts at most were all that could oe 
collected, and it was insidiously asked, whether 
the army of Italy would have been left bo weak, i:* 
I he government had been able to re-enforce it. I1 
was said at Paris, as well as at Dijon and Vienna 
that no army of reserve existed. At the head 
qiiarters of the Austrian General Melas, the iilu 
tsion was so complete, that they said, " The army o' 
reserve we are threatened with is a band of 7 oi 
SOOO conscripts or invalids, with which the French 
hope to deceive us into raising the siege of Genoa, 
'i'he French rely too much on our simplicity : they 
wish us to-realize the fable of the dog who dropped 
his prey for the shadow." 

On the 6th of May, 1800, the first consul left 
\ dris, and proceeded to Dijon. Arriving at Gene- 
vt on the 8th, M. Necker, then in that city, was 
presented to him, and expressed his hopes and 
wishes again to have the management of the French 
htiances, though he did not even know in what man- 
ner the public business was conducted with treas- 
ury bonds. The first consul was very indiiferent- 
\y pleased with M. Necker, though he praised the 
military operations going on under his eyes. 

On the 13th of May, Napoleon reviewed the 
real vanguard of the army of reserve at Lausanne: 
it was commanded by General Lannes, and consist- 
ed of six old regiments of chosen troops, weij 
clothed, and completely equipped and appointed 
It moved directly afterwards upon St. Pierre ; tiw 
divisions followed in echelon, the whole forming ai 
army of 36,000 fighting nrten, with a park of fort f 
meces of artillery. 



tbDO.I NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. Hi 

The passage of Mount St. Bernard was ^ refer 
ed by Napoleon to that of Mount Cenis : the diffi- 
culty in the fonner lay in the ascent and descent 
but then it offered the advantage of leaving Tvnu 
on the right, and acting in a country more cove' • 
ed and less known. Still a speedy passage of the 
artillery seemed impossible. The cartridges and 
ammunition were put into cases, which, as well as 
the mountain forges, were carried by mules. The 
greatest difficulty was in getting the pieces them 
selves over ; but a number of trunks of trees, hol- 
lowed out for the reception of the guns, which 
were fastened into them by their trunnions, being 
prepared, every piece, thus arranged, was dragged 
by soldiers. All these dispositions were made with 
JO much promptitude, that the march of the artillery 
caused no delay. The troops themselves made it a 
point of honour not to leave their guns in the rear, 
and throughout tlie whole passage the regimental 
bands were playing; and it was only in difficult 
spots that the charge was beaten, to give fresh vig- 
our to the soldiers. One division, rather than leave 
their artillery, chose to pass the night upon the 
summit of a mountain in the midst of snow and ex 
cessive cold. 

It has been said that Napoleon had his fortune tu 
make at this period : but at the moment of cross- 
ing Mount St. Bernard he had fought twenty pitch- 
ed battles, conquered Italy, dictated peace to Aus- 
tria at twenty leagues distance from Vienna ; ne- 
gotiated at Rastadt with Count Cobentzel for the 
surrender of the strong city of Mentz ; raised near 
300 millions of contributions, which had served to 
supply the army during two years, to create the 
I'isj'lpine army, and even to pay some of tlie offices 



1 1-2 



MEM MRS OF 



[180'^ 



*>f government in Paris. He had sent to the mu 
eeum three hundred chef d^auvres, ancient Grecian 
statues or pictures of the age of the Medici. He 
had conquered in Egypt ; suppressed the factions at 
home, and eradicated the war in La Vendue. 

On the 16th of May, Bonaparte slept at the con- 
vent of St. Maurice, and the whole army passed the 
St. Bernard on the 17th. He crossed on the 20t}K 
riding on a mule recommended by one of the in- 
habitants of St. Pierre as the most sure-footed in 
all the country. Bonaparte's guide was a tall, ro- 
bust youth of twenty-two, who conversed freely 
with him, with all the confidence becoming his age, 
and the simplicity of the inhabitants of the moun- 
tains. He confided all his troubles to the first 
consul, as well as the dreams of his future happi- 
ness. 

Before he was dismissed, Napoleon, who till then 
had shown no disposition to do any thing for him, 
wrote a note, which realized all the poor fellow's 
hopes, such as the building of a house, the purchase 
of a piece of ground, &c. The astonishment of 
this young mountaineer was extreme. 

The first consul remained an hour at the con- 
vent of the Hospitallers, and performed the descent 
a laramasse, that is, sliding on a sort of sledge down 
an almost perpendicular glacier. The descent wag 
more difficult for the horses than the ascent had 
been ; however, very few accidents happened. The 
monks also accommodated the men to the best of 
their ability : each soldier, as he passed, received a 
comfortable ration from these good fathers. 

On the 17th of May, the van-guard reached 
Chatillon, where an Aastrian corps of 4 or 5000 
<nen, posted to defend the valley, were attacked an<? 



;8oo.i 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



Ji3 



routed ; three guns and some hundreds of pneo'i 
ers were taken. S>ill, w'^^igt the French army 
were flattering themselves that every difficulty was 
overcome, their progiess was all at once checked 
by the cannon of Fort Bard, 

This obstacle was more considerable than that 
of the Great St. Bernard itself: yet neither the 
one nor the other retarded the march of this army. 
The Austrian otTicer, who commanded Fort Bard, 
despatched letter after letter to GeneraJ Melas, in 
forming him that he saw more than 30,000 men, 3 
or 4000 horses, and a numerous staff, attempting to 
pass on his right, by a path of steps in the rock of 
Albaredo. He even suggested, that it would be 
niore than a month before the French army would 
receive its artillery, or be able to trust itself in the 
plain. After the surrender of the fort, the officers 
of the garrison were strangely surprised, on learn- 
ing that all the French artillery had passed by night 
at thirty or forty toises from their ramparts. The 
Fort of Bard surrendered on the 1st of June. In 
the interval from the 1st of May, Melas had been 
marching troops upon Turin, and strengthening the 
divisions in the Valley of Aosta and Mount Cenis ; 
though on the 22d the latter post was taken by 
General Thurreau, who had 3000 men under him ; 
his subsequent occupation, of a position between Susa 
and Turin, alarmed Melas, and paralyzed his efforts. 

Ivrea, occupied by five or six thousand Austrians, 
was soon after carried, together with the citadel, 
containing numerous magazines. 

On the 26th5 the enemy naving retired to Roma- 
no to cover Turin, General Lann^s attacked him in 
his position, overthrew, and dro\e him in disorde? 
upon that city. The French advanced guard nis- 
10* 



114 



MEMOIRS OF 



IHOn 



mediately took possession of Chi\asso, where Bo 
naparte harangued the troops, and bestowed eulogi. 
urns upon liiem. 

Preparations having been made by the French, 
as if they intended to pass the Po, General Melag 
selected an officer who had the honour of knowing 
the first consul, and sent him on a parley to the 
out-posts. His surprise at finding him so near the 
Austrians was extreme. 

On the 27th, General Murat passed the Sesia, 
and on the 31st of May, Bonaparte moved rapidly 
upon the Tessino. Here the Austrians had united 
to cover Milan, and the contest was brisk during 
the whole day. The French had no bridge, but 
crossed upon four small boats, and on the 2d of 
June they entered the city of Milan, and invested th«i 
citadel. Bonaparte, marching with the van-guard, 
was one of the first persons who presented them- 
selves to the eyes of the astonished inhabitants, who 
had crowded from all quarters. They could scarce- 
ly trust their sight! it had been reported that Na- 
poleon had died on the Red Sea, and that it was 
one of his brothers who commanded the army ! 

Between the 1st and 8th of June, the following 
proclamation was addressed to the army of reserve : 

" Soldiers ' One of our departments was in the 
power of the enemy : consternation reigned over 
the whole south of France. 

"The greater part of the territory of the Ligu- 
rians, the most faithful friends of the republic, wa.s 
jivaded. 

" The Cisalpine republic, annihilated by the last 
campaign, had become the sport of a ridiciuloui 
feudal domination. 



1800. 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



n.i 



" Soldiers ! yoa march, and the French territory 
.s already free ! Consternation and dread are suc- 
ceeded by joy and hope in our country. 

" You will restore liberty and independence to 
the people of Genoa, who will be forever relieved 
from their eternal foes. 

" You are in the capital of the Cisalpine. 

" The enemy, panic-struck, hope only to regain 
tne frontiers. You have taken from them tiit.ii 
stores, their magazines, and their reserve of artil- 
lery. 

" The first act of the campaign is ended. 

" You hear, daily, millions of men manifest their 
gratitude to you. 

" But shall the violation of the French soil pass 
unpunished ? Will you suffer those soldiers who 
have carried terror into your families to return to 
their firesides ? You rush to arms. 

" Well, then, march to meet them, oppose theii 
retreat, snatch from them the laurels with which 
they have decked themselves, and thereby teach 
the world, that a malediction rests upon all mad- 
men who dare to insult the territory of the great 
nation. 

" The result of our efforts will be unclouded glo- 
ry and solid peace, 

« The First Consul, 

(Signed) "Bonaparte." 

About this period, a despatch from the ministry 
at Vienna to M. de Melas was intercepted ; it con- 
tained some curious information with regard to what 
is called " the pretended array of reserve ;" and Me- 
'as was ordered to continue his operations in Pro 
)e rigorously It was also stated that 6om« 



116 



MEMOIRS OF 



[imb 



commotions had taken place in Pans, and obliged 
the first consul to return hastily to that capital irom 
Geneva ! 

But, in the midst of the most brilliant successes 
and the fairest hopes, it was the fate of the French 
army to hear that Genoa had actually capitulated. 
Bonaparte then saw that he must rely on his own 
strength alone, and that he would shortly have to 
manage the whole army. 

The enemy, encouraged by circumstances, sent 
a van-guard of four to five thousand men to attack 
that of the French, who had passed the Po ; but 
General Lannes soon routed them, and at night 
took a position before the Austrian army, which 
occupied Montebello and Casteggio, with about 
18,000 men and Ott's grenadiers, the flower of the 
army. 

Lannes, being in position, and expecting re-en 
forceraents every moment, had no inducement to 
attack ; but the Austrian general made a movement 
at day-break. The battle was bloody. Lannes 
covered himself with glory ; the Austrians fought 
desperately, but, Victor's division coming up about 
noon, the day was decided in favour of the Frenc.i. 
The enemy lost 3000 killed and 6000 prisoners. 
On the 10th, 11th, and 12th, the first consul re- 
mained in the position at Stradella, employing the 
time in concentrating his army, and securing hia 
retreat by the construction of two bridges across 
the Po, and fortifying them. The enemy's cavalry 
was formidable, and that of the French, with the 
artillery, was inferior in number ; it was therefore 
dangerous to engage in the plain of Marengo. How- 
ever, the issue showed that there was no longer anj 
choice ; and, besides, the chances tf victory were 



IbOD.j 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



in 



wholly ill favour of tiie Austrian ariuy, which was 
very numerous. Previous to the battle of Mareng-i^ 
which occurred on the 14th of June, 1800, General. 
Des3aix, who had returned from Egypt, arrived ai 
rhe head-quarters, with his aids-de-camp, Rapp 
and Savory. Dessaix burned to signalize himself. 
He longed to avenge the ill-treatment he had re- 
ceived from Admiral Keith at Leghorn. Napoleon 
immediately gave him the command of the division 
of Boudet. 

Under the impression that the Austrians were 
marching on Gonoa, Napoleon despatched Dessaix's 
division in the form of a van-guard upon his ex- 
treme left, whilst Victor, arriving at Marengo, rout- 
ed a rear-guard of four or five thousand Austrians, 
and made himself master of the village. 

On the 14th, at break of day, the Austrians de- 
filed by three bridges of the Bormida, and made a 
furious attack upon Marengo. The resistance was 
kept up for a long time. Bonaparte arrived on the 
field of battle at ten in the morning, between San 
Juliano and Marengo : the latter had been carried 
by the enemy. Victor's division, after a smart con- 
vict, was thrown into the utmost disorder, and the 
plain was left covered with French fugitives, manj 
of whom were exclaiming in dismay, " All is lost !" 
The corps of General Lannes, a little in the reai 
3f the right of Marengo, was outflanked by the en- 
emy, upon which Bonaparte despatched his battaliun 
of the cavalry guard, the best troops in the army, 
to station themselves at a distance of 500 toises from 
Lannes, and keep the enemy in check. The first 
consul himself also hastened with the seventy-sec- 
ond demi-brigade to assist Lannes. When the arm^ 
terceived him in the middle of this imjaense p'ain 



(18 



MEMOIRS OF 



i8oa 



and 200 horse grenadiers with their fur caps, theii 
-hoj)es of victory returned, and the fugitives were 
rallied upon San Juliano in the rear of the loft of 
Lannes, who was eifecting his retreat with admiia- 
ble order and coolness. This corps occupied three 
hours in retiring three quarters of a league, entirely 
exposed to the grape shot of eighty pieces of can- 
non ; at the same time that, by an inverse move 
ment, St. Cyr advanced upon the extreme right, and 
turned the left of the enemy. 

About three in the afternoon the corps under 
Oessaix arrived : the first consul made him take a 
position on the road in advance of San Juliano. Me- 
ias, who thought that victory had decided in his fa- 
vour, being overcome with fatigue, repassed the 
bridges, and left to General Zach, the head of his 
staff, the task of pursuing the French. The first 
consul ordered General Dessaix to charge Zach's 
column of 6000 grenadiers ; but, as he advanced at 
the head of 200 troopers, he was shot through the 
heart by a ball, and fell dead at the very moment 
he had given the word to charge. This misfortune 
did not discourage the movement. Genera,l Boudet 
easily inspired the soldiers with the same ardent 
desire of instant revenge. On this occasion the 
ninth demi-brigade merited the title of Incompara 
bit. General Kellerman at the same time, with 800 
heavy horse, charged the Austrian column intrep- 
idly : in less than half an hour these 6000 grena- 
diers were broken, dispersed, and put to flight, 
^nd General Zach and all his staff' made prisoners 

The whole Austrian army was thrown into the 
mos^ dreadful confusion. From eight to ten thou- 
sand cava>y, which were spread over the field, fear- 
ing th<it St Cyr's division might reacJi the bridg* 



/SOO.] NAPOLEON BONAFARrE. llS 

oefore il.3in, retreated at full gallop, and o\erturned 
all they met in their way. No one thought of any 
thing but flight. The pressure and confusion on 
tlie bridges became extreme, and all who remained 
at night upon the left bank were made prisoners. 

In this desperate situation, General Melas resolv- 
ed to give his troops the whole night to rally and 
repose themselves ; availing himself of the Bcrmida 
on one side, and the citadel of Aliesandra on the 
other, or at any rate to save his army by capitulat- 
ing. Accordingly, on the 15th, by day-break, the 
Austrian general sent a flag of truce, which on the 
same day led to a convention, bv which Genoa and 
all the fortified places in Piedmont, Lombardy, and 
the Legations, were given up, and by which the 
Austrian army obtained lea,ve to retire behind Man- 
tua, without being made prisoners of war. Thus 
ivas the conquest of all Italy secured. 

In consequence of this change of affairs. General 
Suchet entered Genoa on the 24th of June, which 
was given up to him by Prince Hohenzollern, to the 
great regret of the English. 

The first consul, on the 17th of June, set out 
from Marengo for Milan ; which place, as well as a 
great part of Italy, had become the scene of the 
most animated rejoicings. 

Though General Massena had been guilty of an 
error in embarking his troops at Genoa, instead of 
conducting them by land, it was considered that he 
had always displayed great character and energy. 
The first consul, therefore, appointed him command- 
er-in-chief of the army of Italy. 

The Austrians and the French, now becoming 
brethren from sad necessity, drew near to each 
other, and offered or sought mutual assistance 



120 iv!s:moiis of [1800 

•' The next morning," says an eye m itness, " I en 
tered the great coyrt of Marengo : I was ther^ 
struck with a sight sc horrible, that I shudder afiti 
recollection : more th m three thousand French and 
Austrians, heaped one upon another in the yard, in 
the granaries, in the stables, and out-houses, even 
to the very cellars and vaults, we^-e uttering the 
(uost heart-rending lamentations, and crying out by 
turns for food, for water, and for the assistance of 
the surgeon. 

The battle of Marengo was celebrated at Paris 
by a. fete, on the 14th of July, and then presented a 
singularly interesting spectacle. This was the re- 
mains of the " wall of granite," who, just as the 
games were about to begin, marched into the field. 
The sight of these soldiers, covered with tiie dust 
of their march, embrowned with the sun, and with 
the marks of warlike toil on their brow, formed a 
scene so affecting, that the people could not be re- 
strained by the guards from violating the limits, to 
take a nearer view of these interesting heroes. 
While the parade lasted, tolerable good order was 
preserved; but, as they marched away, after their 
presentation to the first consul, mothers, sisters, and 
friends, rushed forwards to embrace sens and broth- 
ers as they passed ; and, amidst this joy of tears, 
and the loud acclamations of the spectators, the 
whole order of the ceremony was disturbed ; use- 
less efforts were made to persuade the people to 
retire to their portions, and the intended games 
were wisely deferred. 

Napoleon's presence being necessary at Paris, 
lie arrived there on the 2d of July, in the middle 
of the night, and was received on the fdlc ving da» 
with every demonstration of joy. 



fSOO.J NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. IlJi 

It i3 a curious fact, that Napoleon most religious 
ly preserved the drab ^reat coat, which he worp 
during his passage over Mount St. Gothard, pre- 
vious to the memorable battle of Marengfo. He was 
so much attached to this surtiut, that he frequenth- 
wore it previous to decisive battles ; and it is ir. 
thi very habiliment that he is uniformly represent- 
ed in the great pictures painted by his order, to im- 
mortalize his most celebrated triumphs. 

Shortly after the battle of Marengo, Napoleon 
says, Louis XVIIl. wrote a letter to him, which 
was delivered by the Abb6 Montesquieu, in which 
he complained of his long delay in restoring him tr. 
his throne ; that the happiness of France could nev- 
er be complete without him ; neither could the glo- 
ry of the country be complete without Bonaparte : 
that one was as necessary to it as the other ; and 
concluded by desiring Napoleon to choose whatever 
he thought proper, provided he was restored to his 
throne. Napoleon sent him back a very handsome 
answer, in which he stated, that he was extremely 
sorry for the misfortunes of himself and family , 
that he was ready to do every thing in his power 
to relieve them, and would interest himself in pro- 
viding a suitable income for them ; but that he 
might abandon the thought of ever returning to 
France as a sovereign, as that could not be effect 
ed without marching over the bodies of five hun 
dr3d thousand Frenchmen. 

The overtures made to Napoleon by the Count 
d'Artois possessed still more elegance and address. 
The bearer of these was the Dutchess de Guich.e, a 
iady whose personal graces and fascinating man 
ners were extremely prepossessing. She got ac- 
p.ess to Madame Bonaparte, and breakfasted with 

VOI .ill 



122 MEMOIRS OF [1800 

her at Malmaison. Here the conversation turning 
on London, the emigrants, and the French princes.. 
Madame de Guiche mentioned her having been at 
the house of .he Count d'Artois, when some person 
asked him what he intended to do for the first con- 
sul, in the event of his restoring the Bourbons ; and 
that the prince had replied, " 1 would immediately 
make him constable of the kingdom, and every thing 
else he might choose. But even that would not be 
enough : we would raise on the Carrousel a lofty 
and magnificent column, surmounted with a statue 
of Bonaparte crowning the Bourbons." 

As soon as Napoleon entered the apartment, Jo- 
sephine eagerly repeated what the dutchess had said. 
" And did not you reply," said her husband, " that 
the corpse of the first consul would have been made 
the pedestal of the columns ?" The r-h«irming dutch- 
ess was still present ; the beauties of her counte- 
nance, her eyes, her words, were directed to the 
success of her mission. She ODserved, also, that 
she was so much delighted, she did not know how 
she should ever be able sufficiently to acknowledge 
the favour which Madame Bonaparte had procured 
her of seeing and hearing so distinguished a man — 
so great a hero. All this was in vain — the dutchess 
received orders that very night to quit Paris. 

Whilst at St. Helena, Napoleon, speaking in ref- 
erence to Louis, the French king, observed, " If 
Lord Castlereagh were to offer me the crown of 
France on the same conditions, I would prefer re- 
maining where I am. There is no man more to be 
pitied than Louis. He is forced upon the nation aa 
A king, and, instead of being allowrd to ingratiate 
'limseif wii:h the people, the alli*»s compel hin« 
'o have recourse to measures, whicn must increase 



1800.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 123 

their hatred, instead of coriciliating their afftctions 
Royalty is degraded by the steps they have obliged 
him to adopt. On la rend si sale et si m^prisahle, 
that it reflects upon England itself. Ill treated as 
I have been," continued Napoleon, " I prefer my 
sojourn on this execrable rock, to being seated on 
the throne of France, like Louis ; as I know that 
posterity will do uie justice. Aiiodier year or two 
will probably finish my career in this world, but 
what I have done will never perish. Twelve hun- 
dred years hence, tny name will be mentioned with 
respect, whilst those of my oppressors will be un- 
known, or only known by being loaded with infamy 
and opprobrium." 

On the 2Sth of July, preliminaries of peace were 
signed at Paris, on the basis of the treaty of Campo 
Formio. 

At no period of their history, not even in the 
early part of Maria Theresa's reign, was the situa- 
tion of the Austrian monarchy in a more critical 
iuncture. The French, after the signal victory 
at Hohenlinden, had crossed the Inn and the Ipps, 
and, arriving at Steyer, in Upper Austria, were 
within seventeen leagues of Vienna. The Gallo- 
Batavian army at the same time were advancing 
along the Danube. Macdonald, in possession of 
the mountains of the Tyrol, had the option of de- 
scending into Italy or Germany, while Brune, afler 
taking fifteen thousand prisoners in twenty days, 
was ready to penetrate into the mountains of Ca- 
rinthia. 

The last armistice, line that which had preceded 
it, did not continue many weeks ; and, as it did not 
extend to Itfiiy, in the beginning of the sicceeding 
ven.r, th^ Imperial and French troops were again ic 



124 



MEMOIRS OF 



[I BOO 



motion. The French generals, acting upon the 
plans of the first consul, were repeatedly victorious \ 
and many battles vrere fought, highly disadvanta- 
geous to the enemy, especially that of Pozzolo m 
Italy. The siege of Peschiera was warmly pusnea, 
and the place surrendered to General Chasseloup 
[n the course of a few weeks, the expedition of 
General Murat against the kingdom of Naples was 
again followed by an armistice, the submission ol 
Roger Damas, and the friendly reception of Gene- 
ral Murat at Rome. 

Much nogotiation and political intrigue had been 
carried on during the latter end of 1800. The conti- 
nent, weary of nine years' war, ardently sighed lot 
peace. It was also known to be a part of Bona- 
parte's ambition, to become the pacificator of tne 
country which had called him to be the supreme 
magistrate. Austria, however, still found itseif fet- 
tered by its engagements with England ; whilst the 
British cabinet was redoubling its efforts to tix the 
indecision of its ally, and to effect the renewal of 
the war upon the continent. In this alone they 
could ensure their preponderance in foreign coun- 
cils, and the monopoly of the commerce of Europe. 

During these negotiations, which both parties 
kept as secret as possible, hostile preparations were 
carrying on with the greatest activity. Austria 
had ordered a levy en masse in Hungary ; the fron- 
tier of Upper Austria, and the right bank of the Inn, 
were covered with intrencl nents from Kuffstein to 
Passau ; numerous re-enf rcements were sent to 
the armies, and corps of reserve were formed in the 
rear. The English augmented their naval force, 
md many attempts were made upon the French 
toast, and in tlie Mediterranean. 



1800.] 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



125 



The French, in order to maintain their superior- 
ity upon the continent, detached 15,000 men from 
the second army of reserve, into Switzerland, under 
the orders of General Macdonald, to connect them 
selves in such a manner with the armies of Ualj 
and Germany, as to succour either, according to 
circumstances. In fact, by the month of Septem- 
ber, 1800, France had more than 200,000 excel- 
lent troops in the field. 

Whilst these hostile corps were approaching 
each other in the heart of Grermany, the first con- 
sul authorized General Moreau to continue the ar- 
mistice beyona the 10th of September, the day it 
was to expire. Moreau accordingly took it upon 
himself to prolong the armistice till the 17th. The 
first consul approved of this delay, but sent an or- 
der by the telegraph to this general, to insist upon 
the ratification of the preliminaries, or to commence 
hostilities immediately ; but authorizing him at the 
same time to consent to a new armistice for a month, 
if the emperor would deliver up Philipsbourg, Ulm, 
and Ingoldstadt, as pledges of his good faith. Aus- 
tria, who only sought to gain time, agreed to this 
new proposal. 

The prolongation of the armistice in Germany 
did not by any means alleviate the hardships endur- 
ed by the inhabitants from the presence of so many 
armies, every day consuming the produce of the 
whole country between the Rhine and the Inn ; for, 
notwithstanding the strictest discipline, the people 
were in the greatest misery. In the course of one 
year, Franconia, Suabia, and Eava/ia, had furnished 
more than two millions in contributions ; besides 
these, the most exorbitant requisitions were daily 
tnade, and the people did not receive the least con 
11 * I 



126 MEMOIRS or [150^ 

Bolatioii from the Austrian government, deaf to the 
complaints that were continually made. This truly 
deplorable situation nad a natural tendency to relax 
tkc bonds of the German confederation ; and most 
of Ihe pri>iees who composed if, finding themselves 
in a hopeless condition, sought an alliance with 
Bonaparte, and entered into separate treaties with 
him, without waiting the issue of the emperor's ne- 
gotiations at Luneville. 

The influence of the first consul was thus increas- 
ing from day to day ; and, to weaken the coalition 
still more, he availed himself of an expedient calcu- 
lated to detach Russia from the allies altogether. 
The emperor Paul had for more than a year solicit- 
ed the British cabinet to consent to the exchange 
of Russian prisoners in France, for a similar num- 
ber of French, detained in England, th« refusal of 
which had raised that sovereign's resentment to 
the highest degree. Bonaparte, availing himself 
of this circumstance, collected between nine and 
ten thousand Russian prisoners in the northern de- 
partments of France, clothed them in their own prop 
er uniform, equipped and armed them, and sent theia 
home without bemg exchanged. Paul, already se- 
duced by the military reputation of Bonaparte, was 
quite brought over by this specious act of generos- 
ity, and which in the end produced an alliance be- 
tween them, that eventually occasioned the assassi 
nation of the unfortunate Paul. 

The congress at Luneville was opened on the 
9th of November, 1900 ; when, as Bonaparte would 
not admit of an Eng'-.sh plenipotentiary unless the 
proposed naval armistice was previously agreed to. 
the negotiations were confined to an exchansre o1 
!ull powers, empty formalities, and useless protesta 



1800.] 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



127 



lions. In the interim, the forty-five days, prescrib- 
ed for the armistice agreed on at Hohenlinden, hav- 
ing elapsed, Bonaparte sent couriers to the gene- 
rals of the armies, to commence hostilities on the 
26th of November. 

Austria, the principal champion at the head of 
the struggle of the kings against the first consul, 
owing to the gold of England, had made such pro- 
digious efforts, that she was once more in a situa- 
tion to contend for victory, and the battle of Ho- 
henlinden soon followed, in which the French, un- 
der Moreau, were, as usual, triumphant, and the 
archduke John was obliged to abandon all his in- 
trenchments upon the Inn, and retire upon Alza. The 
battles that followed brought the French armies 
into Styria, within a few leagues of Vienna, when 
the Austrian general Grune presented himself at 
head-quarters, with full powers to conclude another 
armistice ! The archduke also announced to the 
general-in-chief, that the emperor of Austria was 
determined to make peace, with or without the con- 
sent of the allies. Moreau, who thought he had 
performed enough for his glory, disdained the empty 
honour of a triumphal entry into the capital of Aus- 
tria, and therefore thought proper to suspend the 
inarch of his troops, and accede to the proposed 
armistice. However, in twenty-two days the French 
army had gained forty leagues of ground, i nd the 
formidable lines of the Inn ; the Salzba^h, the 
Ti-aun, and the Ens, had been passed without loss ; 
while more than forty-five thousand Impeiialista 
killed and wounded, a hundred and forty field- 
pieces, and a numbei of colours taken, rendered 
the moderation of the conquerors still more conspic 
uous. 



12S MEMOIRS OF I 1800 

For sonie ime before the expiration of 1800, the 
return of tht emigrants to France had been facili- 
tated ia vari.)us ways by the liberality of the first 
consul ; but, towards the close of that year, their 
conspiracies gave the most unfavourable bias to this 
indulgence. Here we allude to the explosion of 
the infernal machine, on the evening of the 24th ol 
December. 

From the Journal of the private Life of Napoleoa, 
it now appears, that two infernal machines were 
constructed, and the contrivers of both discovered 
to Napoleon, but who, with his usual policy, kept 
the history of the first a profound secret. He did 
not like to divulge the numerous conspiracies of 
which he was the object. 

The construction of the first of these infernal 
machines, the emperor imputed to a hundred fu- 
rious jacobins, the real authors of the scenes of Sep- 
tember and the 10th of August. To accomplish 
their purpose of getting rid of him, they invented a 
fifteen or sixteen pound howitzer, which, on being 
thrown into the carriage, would explode by its own 
concussion. To make their object more sure, they 
proposed to lay caltrops along a part of the road, 
which would impede the carriage, and prevent the 
horses from moving on. The man who was to be 
employed in laying down the caltrops, entertaining 
some suspicions of the job, communicated his ideas 
to the police. The conspirators were soon traced, 
and were apprehended near the Jardin des Plantes, 
in the act of trying the effects of a machine, which 
made a terrible explosion. The first consul, foi 
■easons aforesaid, did not give pr.blicity to this 
eveat. but contented himself with imprisoning th« 
Ti.uinals. He soon relaxed his orders for keeping 



180U/ NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 125 

them closely confined, and thus they were allowed 
to mingi e with some royalists in the same prison, 
who were there for having attempted to assassinate 
him hy means of air-guns. These two parties form- 
ed an alliance, and the royalists transmitted to theii 
friends out of prison the idea of the last infernal 
machine, which actually exploded on the 24th of 
December. 

The account that Napolecn gave of this event, 
stated in substance, that on that evening he was 
much pressed to go to the opera. He had been 
greatly occupied with business all the day, and in 
the evening found himself sleepy and tired. He 
threw himself on a sofa in his wife's room, and fell 
asleep. Josephine came down some time after, 
awoke him, and insisted he should go to the thea- 
tre. She wished him to do every thing to ingra- 
tiate himself with the people. Against his inclina- 
tion he got up, went into his carriage, accompanied 
by Lasnes and Bessieres, but was so drowsy that 
he fell asleep in the coach, and continued so till the 
explosion took place, when he recollected experi- 
encing a sensation, as if the vehicle had been rais- 
ed up, and was passing through a great body of 
water. The contrivers were a man named St. Re- 
gent ; Imolan, a religious man, who afterwards weni 
to America and became a priest; and some others. 
They procured a cart and a barrel, resembling those 
with which water is supplied in the streets of Paris, 
only with this exception, th %t the barrel was placed 
crossways. This Imolan filled with gunpowder, 
and placed it and himself nearly In the turning of 
the street (St. Nicaise) through which the ccinsul'a 
carriage was to pass. 



130 



MEMOIRS OF 



[1800 



What saved Bonaparte was, his A^ife's carris ge 
being tlie same in appearance as hij, and, as there 
was a guard of fifteen men to each, Imolan did noi, 
know which carriage Bonaparte was in, and was 
not certain he would be in either : to ascertain this, 
he stepped forward to look into the carriage. One 
of the guards, a great, tall, strong fellow, impatient 
and angry at seeing a man stopping up the way, and 
staring into the carriage, rode up, and gave him a 
kick with his great boot, crying out, " Get out of 
the way, pekin" which knocked him down. Before 
he could get up, the carriage had passed a little on, 
when Imolan, probably confused by his fall, not 
perceiving that the carriage had passed, exploded 
his machine between the two carriages. It killed 
the horse of one of the guards, wounded the rider, 
knocked down several houses, and killed and wound- 
ed about forty or fifty spectators, who were gazing 
to see the first consul pass. The police collected 
together all the remnants of the cart and the ma- 
c!'! Tie, and invited all the workmen in Paris to come 
and look at them. The pieces were recognised by 
several. One said, 1 made this, another that, and 
all agreed they had sold them to two men, who by 
their accent were Bas-Bretons, natives of Lower 
Brittany ; but nothing more could be learned. 

Shortly after, the hackney coachmen and others 
of that description gave a great dinner m the 
Champs Elysees to Cassar, Napoleon's coachman, 
thinking he had saved his master's life, by his skill 
and activity at the moment of the explosion, which 
was not the case, for he was drunk at the time 
It was the guardsman that saved it, by knocking 
Imolan down. It is possible that the coachman as 



i800.] NAPDLE<>N BONAPARTE. I'di 

Mated, by dr»'mg furiously round the corner, 8us be 
log druiik, and not afraid of any thing-. He was so 
far gone, that he thought the report of the explo- 
sion was that of a salute fired in honour of his 
master's visit to the theatre. At the coachmen's 
dinner they ail took their bottle freely : one of 
them, whon drunk, said, " Caasar, I know the men 
who tried to blow tho first consul up the other day. 
[n such a street, and such a house," naming them 
" I saw on that day a water-cart coming out of a 
passage, which arrested my attention, as I had nev- 
er seen one there before. I observed the men and 
the horse, and should know them again." Th« 
minister of police was sent for ; the man was intei 
rogated, and brought to the house referred to, where 
they found the measure with which the conspirators 
had put the powder into the barrel, and there was a 
little of the fowder scattered about. The master 
of the house, on being questioned, said thore had 
been people there for some time, whom he took to 
be smugglers ; that on the day in question they had 
gone out with the cart, which he supposed contain- 
ed a loading of smuggled goods. He added, that 
they wero Bas-Bretons, and that one of them ap- 
peared to give directions to the other two. A de- 
scription of their persons being thus obtained, St 
Regent and Carbon were taken, tried, and execut- 
ed. An inspector of police had noticed the cart 
standing at the corner of the street for a long 
time, and had oi'dered the person that was with 
it to drive it away, but he made some excuse, and 
eaid there was plenty of room ; the inspector see 
ing what he thought a water-ca 't, with a miserable 
horse not worth twenty fran ?Pj did not suspect an}/ 
liirking mischief. 



i32 



MEMOIBS OF 



[IBOO 



Tilt sensation excited by the shock of this ex- 
plosion, Napoleon afterwards acknowledged, awoka 
aim from a dream that he was drowning in the Tag- 
liamento, an event which must have left a very deep 
impression upon his mind. It was then some few 
years since he had passed the river Tagliamento in 
[taly, in his carriage, during the night. In the ar- 
dour of youth, and heedless of every obstacle, 
though he was attended by a hundred men, armed 
with poles and torches, his carriage was soon set on 
float. He for some time gave himself up for lost. 
So at the moment when he awoke on his way to 
the opera, in the midst of a conflagration, the 
carriage was lifted up, and the passage of the Tag- 
liamento came fresh upon his memory. The illu- 
sion, however, was but short — " We are blown up !" 
exclaimed the first consul to Lasnes and Bessie- 
res, who were in the carriage with him. They 
proposed to make arrests, but he advised them not 
to be too hasty. He arrived safe at the opera, and 
appeared as if nothing had happened. 

Napoleon, being asked, whilst at St. Helena, who 
,he persons were that employed the contrivers of 
the mfernal machine, said they were employed by 
the Count D***, and sent over by Pitt in English 
ships, and furnished with English money. " Al- 
though," added he, "your**** did not actually 
suborn them, they knew what they were going lo 
execute, and furnished them with the means." He 
did not believe that Louis XVIII. was privy to it. 

Previous to this, a conspiracy of about fifty per- 
sons, most of whom had once been very much at- 
tached to him, consisting of officers in the army, men 
of science, painters and sculptors, was formed 
ftgainst him. They v, ere all stern republicans ; thei; 



1800.1 



NAPOLEOiV BONAPARTE 



133 



minds were heated ; each fancied himself a Brutus 
him a tyrant and another Caisar. Amongst the^. 
was Arena, a countryman of Bonaparte's, who im- 
agined, that by getting rid of him he should do a 
service to France. Ceracchi, j.nother Corsican 
sculptor, having determined to kill the first consul, 
came to Paris from Milan, and, though he had made 
one statue for him at the latter place, he solicited 
to have the honour of making another ; but his in- 
tention was to poniard Bonaparte whilst he was sit- 
ting for it. This was refused ; and, as Napoleon 
was then ignorant of the conspiracy, this refusal 
saved his life. 

Among these conspirators was a captain ; he 
would not consent that Bonaparte should be killed, 
but, as he could not bring the rest of them into hi? 
way of thinking, he gave information of their names 
and plans. They were to assassinate Napoleon the 
first night he went to the theatre, in the passage on 
his returning. Every thing being arranged with 
the police, Napoleon went the same evening to the 
theatre, and actually passed through the conspira- 
tors, some of whom he knew personally, and who 
were armed with poniards under their cloaks. 
Shortly after his arrival they were seized, afterwards 
tried and executed. 

Jiucien Bonaparte was appointed prime minister 
o^ the interior this year, and on the 14th of July 
he ^aid the first stone of the national column at 
Paris, intended to celebrate the chief epochas ol 
the revoi'ution, and the new order of things undei 
the benign influence of the first consul. In the 
mme year Lucien, with the prefect of the Seine. 
laid the foundation stone of a departmental cnluma. 
vol.. I. 12 



1114 



MEMOIRS OF 



[i8oa 



sacred to liberty and war, and dedicated to the 
army. 

The year 1800 terminated triumphantly for the 
French arms in Italy. General Lecourbe entered 
Steyer, in Carmthia, on the 25th of December 
The Austrians lost 12,000 men killed, and 8000 
prisoners. The Mincio was passed, and the city ol 
Verona entered by General Brune. on the last dft? 
if the year 



1801.J 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



13d 



CHAPTER X. 



A'mislice in Italy — Feure of Luncville — Cupttire of ihe Hanni 
bal, a seventy -four — Expedition against Boulogne — Treaty 
of Amiens — Bojuiparte' s Plans for the internal Impravenvent of 
France — Pacification with the Pope — Assassination of tlit 
Emperor Paul of Russia — Remarks on his Murderers — Anec- 
dotes — French Expeditioji to Si. Domingo. — Changes in Oit 
Goveitiment of Suntzerlaiid. 

In January, 1801, the French and Austrian gener- 
als in Italy entered into a convention, by which it 
was stipulated, that the Tyrol should be wholly 
evacuated by the Austrians, and the fortresses of 
Brannau and Wurtzburgh delivered up to the 
French. These stipulations were soon followed by 
a new agreement, at Trevisa, between the generals 
Brune and Bellegarde, by which a cessation of arms 
was obtained in Italy, on condition of surrendering 
Peschiera, Sermione, Verona, Legnano, Ferrara and 
Ancona, afterwards ceded to the French. 

On the 9th of February, 1801, the peace of Lune- 
ville, after so many delays, was actually signed 
Its conditions were, that the left bank of the Rhine 
should be the limit of the French republic, which 
should give up all claims upon the right. 

The interval between the peace of Luneville 
and that o^ Amiens, that followed, was occupied by 
such formidable preparations on the opposite coasts 
of England, that an attempt to cripple or destroy 
those at Boulogne was not thought unworthy the 
talents and enterprise of a Nelson. 

Some success in the Mediterranean, in the cap- 
ture of the Hannibal, a British 74 gun ship, in the 
^arbour of Algesiras, was magnified by the Fre ici 



/S6 



MEMOIRS OP 



[1801 



into a great victory ; three of the r ships, as they 
asserted, having beaten six of the English ! Hence 
the destruction of the modern Carthage was fondly 
predicted, from the loss of her Hannibal. 

The failure of the expedition against Boulogne, 
was very grateful to the French people ; whilst 
their government exhibited an unusual degree of 
moderation. It was owned, that the first consul 
had long been aware, that neither his ports nor his 
fleets were secure from the enterprise and valour 
of the English seamen ; and that he was no longer 
desirous of intrusting their safety to the chances 
of failure, or the caprices of fortune. Ambitious 
of every new species of glory, he now appeared 
desirous of the blessing of tranquillity, and of add- 
ing to his martial renown the title of " The Pacif- 
icator of Europe." 

Bonaparte, some years after, spoke in high terms 
of Lord Nelson, and attempted to palliate that only 
stigma upon his memory, the execution of Carra- 
cioli, the Neapolitan patriot, which he attributed en- 
tirely to his having been deceived by that wicked 
woman. Queen Caroline of Naples, through the 
means of Lady Hamilton, and to the influence which 
the latter had over Nelson. 

The ground-work of this pacific disposition in 
the French ruler was, that, for some time past, m 
active intercourse had taken place between the two 
governments. Flags of truce and flags of defi- 
ance were actually displayed at the same time, 
and in the same strait : so that, while Boulogne and 
Dunkirk were bombarded and blockaded by hostile 
iquadrons, the ports of Dover and Calais were fre- 
quently visited by the packet-boats, and the mes- 
senoers of the courts of St. James and the Tuille 



1801.] 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



131 



ries. At length, Lord Hawkesbury, the English 
secretary of state for foreign affairs, after a long 
but secret correspondence with M. Otto, aniounced 
on the first of October, the signature of the pre- 
Uminaries of peace between England on one part, 
and Spain, France and Holland on the other. Thia 
intelligence diffused universal satisfaction all ovei 
the kingdom. At the end of eleven days, the rati- 
fication of the preliminary treaty on the part of the 
first consul was brought from Paris to London, 
by Colonel Lauriston, who, with the French ambas- 
sador, was drawn through the streets in his car- 
riage, by the populace of that city. 

Amiens, the town assigned for the discussion of 
the definitive treaty, had been the residence for some 
months of the ministers of the respective powers. 
The Marquis Cornwallis represented Great Britain : 
Joseph Bonaparte, counsellor of state, France ; M. 
Azzara, Spain ; and M. Schimmelpennick, Holland. 
It may be necessary to state here, that, by the pre- 
liminary articles, on which the definitive treaty was 
grounded, his Britannic majesty agreed to restore to 
the French republic, and her allies, all the posses- 
sions and colonies conquered by the British arms dur- 
mg the war, the island of Trinidad and the Dutch 
possessions of Ceylon excepted. It was further stip- 
ulated, that the port of the Cape of Good Hope 
shall be open to the commerce and navigation oi 
the two contracting parties. The island of Malta, 
with its dependencies, shall be evacuated by the 
troops of his Britannic majesty, and restored to th« 
Order of St. John of Jorusalem within three months. 
And, for the p.irpose of rendering this island com 
pletely independent of either of the two contiact 
ing parti es^ it shall be under the guar£,nte«^ and pro 
12 * 



13b MEMOIRS OP [J80i 

„ection of a third power, to b^ agreed uiton in the 
definitive treaty. Egypt shall be restored to the 
Sublime Porte. The territories and possessions of 
his most faithful majesty shall likewise be pre- 
served entire. The French forces shall evacuate 
the kingdom of Naples and the Roman territory. 
The English forces shall, in like manner, evacuate 
Porto Ferrajo, and generally all the ports and 
islands which they may occupy in the Mediterrane- 
an or the Adriatic. The republic of the Seven 
Islands shall be acknowledged by the French re- 
public. The fisheries on the coasts of Newfound- 
land, and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, shall be re- 
stored to the same state in which they were before 
the present war. And, finally, plenipotentiaries 
shall be named on each side, who shall repair to 
Amiens for the purpose of concluding a definitive 
treaty of peace, in concert with the allies of the 
contracting parties. 

The conclusion of the first French revolutionary 
war, which had lasted tlie same number of yeara 
as the siege of Troy, proved a subject of exulta- 
tion to the French nation. The French consul 
hastened to notify the joyful event to the legisla- 
tive body, the tribunate, and the conservative 
senate ; but, whilst congratulating these bodies on 
the one hand, he endeavoured to impress all the 
countries of Europe with the persuasion, that it was 
the ambition of England alone, which had so long 
contributed to disturb tlie tranquillity of mankind. 

Though the French go'-ernment was much dis 
tressed for want of cash during the year 1801, be- 
ing reciuced to the necessity of threatening forced 
'oans, the first consul seemed to have fixed hii 
ihoughts on vast plans of improvement and embe' 



ISOl.j NIPOLEON BONAPARTE. 1 S9 

Iishnieiit Early in the year he made a journey ta 
St. Quentin, where he pu'-^osed to revive the ex- 
piring manufactures, and visited for the purpose of 
resuming- them the discontinued works of the canal 
cf Languedoc. On this point he consulted his most 
eminent engineers, and purposed, hy a canal which 
should join the River Yonne to the Saone, to form 
a complete internal navigation from the north of 
the republic to the south. When the canals of St 
Quentin and Burgundy should be finished, a boat 
from Amsterdam might, without discharging its car- 
go, arrive through the mterior at Marseilles. Oth- 
er magnificent projects were daily detailed ; new 
bridges were to be built, the public roads improved, 
fortresses were to be erected, the Louvre completed, 
the national library placed in a new hall, and mu- 
seums established in the fifteen principal cities of 
France. These, and many other grand projects, 
were employed to occupy the public attention, while 
bread was rising to an alarmmg price, insomuch, 
that even fear could not restrain the outcries of the 
people, and all the vigilance of the police could not 
prevent some disturbance, even in the capital. 

Splendid shows were repeated, and these seem- 
ed never to lose their effect ; but that was only mo- 
mentary, and government showed many signs of 
alarm. The new laws, however rigorous, were not 
considered sufficient, although their execution was 
unremitted and unlimited ; the press, both in France, 
and wherever the influence of France extended, 
was la*d under arbitrary restraint ; those who pub- 
lished pamphlets in Paris on the concordate were 
arrested and imprisoned ; and the Leyden Gazette 
was forcibly suppressed, because the editor had al- 
lowed himself to make s^?me observations on th« 



140 



MEMOIRS OF 



[1801 



faiic js constitutions established in Holland. Yet 
rumours of discord and insurrection were preva- 
lent ; the Lrfficers of the arivjy of Germany loudly 
complained that their services were slighted, while 
all favours were lavished on those who had acted 
in Italy and Egypt, and even Moreau himself, not 
without reason, was regarded with jealousy and 
suspicion. The consular guard was augmented to 
16,000 men, and in the midst of triumph, flattery, 
and uncontrolled power, the chief appeared dis- 
trustful, and many of the people dissatisfied. 

In the course of this year all the continental 
powers, that had waged war against the French re- 
public, were disposed for peace. The elector pal- 
atine of Bavaria negotiated a treaty, by which he re- 
nounced the dutchies of Juliers. Deux-Ponts, and 
their dependencies. 

But the policy of Napoleon was still more emi- 
nently displayed by a pacification with the pope, which 
contributed very much to the tranquillity of France. 
By a convention with the sovereign pontiff, ratified 
in September, 1801, the first consul was not only 
acknowledged to possess all the privileges of the 
ancient monarchy, so far as concerned public wor- 
ship, but new and essential immunities. His holi- 
ness agreed to procure the resignation of the pre- 
lates who adhered to the old establishment, and the 
cl.ief magistrate was to nominate to the vacant sees. 
A new and more suitable form of prayer for th<! 
first consul ^vas introduced ; and it was further 
stipulated on the part of the holy father and his 
successors, that those who had acquired the alieii 
atec property of the church shoul 1 not be dis 
Curbed. 



£801.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 14 1 

By the concordate agreed to in the ensuing year 
die apostolical and Roman faith was declared to be 
the religion of the state, and the Ca tholics were to 
pay one-tenth of thei- taxes to defray the expei 
ses of public worship. But its possessions ana cer- 
emonies were to be subjected to the civil power, 
while the chief consul was to be declared head of 
the Galilean church, and the bishops and priests 
were to make a solemn promise of fidelity. 

An event highly important in its consequences 
took place in Russia in the month of March, this 
year. The emperor Paul L, at the age of forty- 
six years, was said to have died suddenly in the 
night between the twenty-third and twenty-fourth 
of that month, just at the moment when an Eng- 
lish fleet, under the admirals Hyde Parker and 
Nelson, were passing the sound, to chastise the 
northern powers, for presuming to defend the inde- 
pendence of European navigation. The results of 
this suddien death were the astonishment of the con- 
federate powers at its coincidence with the late ex- 
pedition to Copenhagen. At the moment when these 
powers seemed desirous to effect a change in the 
policy of the new czar of Russia, Alexander sol- 
emnly declared that he would renounce the sys- 
tem adopted by his father with respect to England. 
Thus was dissolved the formidable confederation cf 
the northern powers ; leaving few other traces be- 
hind it than the destruction of the Danish fleet on 
the second of April, and the sudden death of the 
•emperor Paul. Bonaparte, referring to this event 
when at Sl Helena, said, " Alexander employs the 
murderers t f his father. One of them, O., is now 
his aid-de-camp. I must, however, do him the jus- 
tice to say, that, at Tilsit, he observed to me, tbat 1 
K 



i42 MEMOIRS OF [1801 

paid a great deal of attention to B****, and begged 
to know m/ reasons for it. I answered, ' Because 
he is your general.' ' Cependant,' said he, **^ c^est 
un viiain coquin, Cest liii qui a assassin^ monpere, 
and policy alone has obliged me to employ him, al- 
though I wish him dead, and in a short time will 
send him about his business.' — Alexander and the 
king of Prussia," continued he, " dined with me 
every day, and in order to pay a compliment to 
^-x-^HHHt* j^ .^ag jp,y intention, on the day the con- 
versation took place, to have asked B*^* to din- 
ner, as commander-in-chief of the army. This dis- 
pleased A , who, although he asked B*^*** 

:o his own table, did not wish me to do so, because 
it would have raised him so high in the eyes of the 
Russians. Paul," continued he, "was murdered 
hy B**^^, O*^^, P**^, and others. A Cossack, in 
whom Paul had confidence, used to sleep at his 
door. The conspirators came up and demanded 
entrance ; this the Cossack refusing, they fell upon 
him, and despatched him after a desperate resist- 
ance. Paul, who was in bed, hearing the noise, 
got out, and endeavoured to escape to the empress's 
apartments. Unluckily for himself, a day or two 
before, he, in his suspicions, had ordered the door 
of communication to be closed up. He then went 
and concealed himself in a press ; in the meanwhile 
the conspirators broke open the door, but, perceiv- 
ing thsre was no one in the bed, they exclaimed, 
'We are lost! he has escaped.' P^'^ feeling the 
bedclothes, said, ' The nest is warm, the bird cfin-, 
not be far off.' When they had found and drag- 
ged Paul out of his hiding-place, they presented him 
a paper, containing his abdication : he refused af 
•irst-: but s,ai'd he would abdicate if thev would r® 



iSOl J NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 145 

lease him. They then seized, knocked him down, 
and tried to suffocate him. Paul made a desperate 
resistance, when, fearful lest assistance should ar- 
rive B^^^^ despatched him, by stamping his heel 
mto his eyes, and thus beating his brains out, while 
the others. held him down. Paul, in his struggles 
for life, once got B'^^'^^^'s heel into his mouth, and 
bit a piece out of his skin." 

Napoleon said, that he and the emperor Paul 
had been on the best terms together. At the time 
of his murder, he had concerted a plan with him for 
an expedition to India, and he would certainly have 
prevailed upon him to carry it into execution. Paul 
wrote to Napoleon very often, and at great length. 
His first communication was curious and original. 
" Citizen first consul," he had written to him with 
his own hand, " I do not discuss the merits of the 
rights of man ; but when a nation places at its head 
a man of distinguished merit, and worthy of esteem, 
it has a government ; and France has henceforth 
one in my eyes." 

When Napoleon was in Syria, he noticed the 
thievery and impudence of a little Chinese, who 
was one of his servants : he was a deformed dwarf, 
whom Josephine once took a fancy to at Paris, and 
was generally placed behind her carriage. She 
took him tc Italy, but his constant habit of pilfering 
made her u ish to get rid of him. It was on this 
account he was taken with the Egyptian expedi- 
tiDn, and as a lift to him half way on his journey 
home. This little monster was intrusted with the 
sare of the emperor's wine cellar, and, after Napo- 
leon had crossed the desert to Syria, it was found 
Jiat he had sold, at a very low price, 2000 bottlea 
of delicious claret. He thought that Napoleon would 



144 



MEMOIRS OF 



[1801 



never come back. The robbery was so glaring, tha\ 
he was forced to confess it, and Napoleon was much 
urged to have him hanged ; but he refused ; be- 
cause, in every sense of justice, be oi ght to have 
done as much to those knaves in embroidered 
clothes, who had knowingly bought and drank the 
wine. He therefore contented himself with dis- 
charging him, and sending him to Suez, where he 
was at liberty to do as he pleased. 

On the 14th of December this year, the ill-advis- 
ed expedition against the blacks at St. Domingo, 
sailed from France under Admiral Villaret Joyeuse, 
consisting of twenty-five ships of war, &c., having 
on board 25,000 men, commanded by General Le- 
clerc, brother-in-law to the first consul. The result 
of this, and the fate of the black chief Toussaint, are 
too well known. It is but justice to add, that the 
sending of this army to St. Domingo was feelingly 
regretted by Napoleon during his exile. His neg- 
lect to declare St. Domingo free, and acknowledge 
the black government, he confessed as a great over- 
sight. Possibly he might also have been touched 
with the fate of Toussaint and his family ; but he 
said, that, after the peace of Amiens, he was con- 
tinually beset with applications from the proprietors 
of estates in the colony, French merchants and 
others, and was obliged to comply with them. 

The first consul, observing that Switzerland had 
for two years past been a prey to different factions, 
and that the ancient constitution of the Swiss, the 
first model of a free constitution in Eur )pe, had been 
replaced by the attempts of several factions, each 
more monstrous than its predecessor, excited twc 
members of the Helvetic directory, M. M. Doldei 
and Savary, to bring about a -evolution of the same 



1801.1 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



145 



kind as that of the 18th of Brumaire in France, in 
1795. The hall of the sittings of the Swiss legis- 
lative body was accordingly surrounded, and th«» 
two dictators announced that this assembly was dis- 
solved ; and further, the constitution, as it then 
stood, was declared null and void. A provisional 
senate was then organized, consisting of twenty- 
five members, who were to co-operate with M. M 
Dolder and Savary in settling a new form of gov- 
ernment for Helvetia. In a letter addressed to the 
French envoy, M. Verninac^ they declared the sole 
object of this political moyement was to second the 
wishes of the people of Switzerland, in whose wel- 
fare the first consul of France had condescended 
to take a lively interest, and to open them f* way to- 
wards that m.oderation and wisdom, by which France 
had been enabled to ensure her tranquillity at home, 
and her prosperity abroad. However, no sooner 
had the French troops been withdrawn from the 
democratic cantons, than the inhabitants rose in 
arms, and, obtaining possession of the cities of Zu- 
rich, Berne, and Fribourg, appointed Aloys Reding, 
a man of commanding talents, the chief of the in- 
surrection. 

Much negotiation ensued, but the most unan 
swerable reply to all tJie remonstrances of the di 
vided Swiss, was found in the introduction of a 
French army of thirty thousand men, under Gen- 
eral Ney, into the Swiss territory 

On the 10th of December, 1801, Bonaparte com- 
municated his plan of u government to fifty-six 
Swiss depvities, to which it was in vain to offer any 
opposition ; the Helvetic troops were passed into 
the service of France ; and the landamman, Louis 
D'Aufry, issued a proclariation, informing them that 

VOL.1. 13 



H6 MEMOIRS OF [lHv)l 

they were received into the armies of the firs? 
C3nsul, under whose paternal care they would for- 
get their past sufferings. An address of than'ks 
was also voted by the Diet to Bonaparte, on the 
ground ''that he h'^d restored to them their ancienl 
constitution, the only one adapted to their wants* w 
coi£@i@teiit with the wishes of the |««®J«* ** 



'802.i NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 14^ 



CHAPTER XI. 

Assembly vf the Ccnsiilta at Lyons — Ambition of Bonaparti — 
Negoaatums with the British Calnnet — Treaty of Amiens — 
BoTiaparte's Character of Marcjids Cornwallis — Napoleon c* 
sumes the Title of Grand Pacificator — Remarks on tlie Ccmdiici 
of Mr. Pitt — Treaty with '^t^jniin — Ejj'ccts of Bonaparte i | 

Elevation — Napoleon voted Consul for Life — ISew French ( 

Constitution — Legion of Hanour — Coiicordate with the Pope — ! 

Bonaparte's Powers oj Persuasion — Mr. Pox's Recej>tion in j 

France — Disagreement between France and England — Ejfects j 

of tlie French Reiwlution. j 

One of the first public acts of the year 1802, 
calculated for the aggrandizement of the first con- 
sul, was the assembling of the Grand Consul ta of 
the Cisalpine republic at Lyons. Here a new con- 
stitution was hastily formed, and the name was 
changed from the Cisalpine to that of the Italian 
republic. 

The ambition of Bonaparte had doubtless been 
the grand stimulus on this occasion. The inde- 
pendence of the Cisalpine republic had been an 
express article in the treaty of Luneville ; but even 
pending the consequent negotiations, the first con- 
sul set off for Lyons on the 9th of January, to meet 
the Cisalpine deputies whom ho had summoned 
there, accompanied by Josephine, M. Chaptal, min 
ister of the interior, and other persons belonging 
to his court. But, ti ough he entered Lyons at ten 
o'clock on the night of the 11th, he was received 
with great parade, being met by a guard of honour, 
formed of die young men of the best families 
Bonaparte dreaded the loss of the influence he 
had acquired in Italy, which might probably opea 



148 MEMOIRS OF [}802 

the wa^ to tlie return of the Austrian government. 
He therefore resolved upon forming the government 
of the Cisalpine republic in such a manner, that it 
should alw^ays be dependent upon France, or rathei 
upon him. The provisional government that he had 
established at Milan, at his instigation, now passed 
a decree, appointing the convocation of an extraor 
dinary assembly at Lyons, charged with forming 
new bases for the Cisalpine republic, under the 
auspices, and in the presence of the first magis- 
trate of the French republic. But, though it ap- 
peared ridiculous to assemble the representatives of 
a nation on any other soil than their own, to delib- 
erate upon the formaticm of a constitution, such 
was the enthusiasm with which Bonaparte had in- 
spired them, that several of tlie most considerable 
persons among the Cisalpines contended for the 
honour of making a part of this consulta, or con- 
stituent assembly, consisting of four hundred and 
fifty-two members. 

He assisted at the first sitting, in a tribune plac- 
ed opposite the c4iair of the president, ornamented 
with trophies of arms, commemorating his victories 
obtained in Italy and Egypt. The Tiber and the 
Nile were seen at the feet of the conqueror, and 
above him a heaven w.thout clouds. A committee 
of thirty-five members, appointed by scrutiny, pre- 
sented to the assembly the project of a constitii 
tion, which wa? adopted almost without discussion 
This precipitate act established a legislative corps, 
a council of state, and a president of the republic. 
in whom alone the executive power should reside 
In communicating this project to the assembly, the 
committee announced, that circumstances appear- 
ed too alarming to them, to permit the new state tc 



lS02.I NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 149 

fixist williout foreign aid ; they therefore thought 
it necessary to request t'^-'t General Bonaparte 
would so fa: honour the Cisalpine republic, as to 
continue to govern it, by associating it with the di- 
rection of affairs in France, till it should be ac- 
knowledged by all the other powers of Europe. 

Mdzi was vice-president, Gui^ciardi secretary of 
state, Spannochi grand judge. Lastly, that the day 
should terminate with something like feeling, as 
well as solemnity, Bonapaite invited the ex-count 
Melzi to come and sit by him ; when, embracing, the 
president, the assembly was visibly affected. Mel- 
zi was the descendant of a noble family, and one 
of the most considerable personages in the ancient 
dutchy of Milan, but had always been a strenuous 
opposer of Bonaparte, whom he suspected and 
loudly censured, on account of his ambitious views. 
The first consul, having thus terminated this busi- 
ness to his satisfaction, set out for Paris, where he 
arrived on the 30th of January, and was received 
with those acclamations that always attended his 
entry into tliat capital. 

But it appeals that none of the political intrigues 
or negotiations, in which Bonaparte engaged, had 
in the least degree allayed his ardent desire for 
concluding a peace with England. Conformably 
to the fifteenth article of the preliminaries that had 
been signed at London, in October, 1801, the 
French, English, Dutch, and Spanish plenipotenlia 
ries repaired to Amiens, and were seriously en['ag- 
ed in negotiating a peace, intended to fix the ita- 
bility of Europe. Even at this time, the posses 
sion jf the island of Malta, fated to prove the 
cause of the renewal of the wa,r, proved such an 
obstacle, as to occupy the negotiators tAvo months 
13* 



150 MEMOIRS (\F fl80v 

before they could come to an agreement &^ to whal 
power shouid be put in possession of tlie object ot 
debate At length, however, the definitive treaty 
of peace between the French repubhc and the 
other powers, was signed at Amiens, on the 27th 
of March, 1802 ; viz. by Joseph Bonaparte on the 
part of France, Marquis Cornwallis for England, 
the Chevalier Azzara for Spain, and M. de Schim- 
melpennick tor Holland. - 

The tribute paid to the noble Marquis Cornwal- 
lis on this occasion, when Napoleon was afterwards 
an exile at St. Helena, is expressed in the most 
grateful terms. He described him as a man of prob- 
ity, a generous and sincere character, " Un tres 
brave homme." " He was," said Napoleon, " the 
man who first gave me a good opinion of the Eng- 
lish :" his integrity, fidelity, frankness, and the no- 
bleness of his sentiments, impressed Napoleon witli 
a very favourable opinion of our nation : he recol- 
lected Cornwallis saying, " There are certain quali- 
ties which may be bought ; but a good charjicter, 
sincerity, and a proper pride, and calmness in the 
hour of danger, are not to be purchased." Napo- 
leon gave him a regiment of cavalry to amuse him- 
self with whilst at Amiens. The officers esteemed 
him much. He never broke his word. At Amiens 
the treaty was ready, and was to be signed by him 
at the Hotel de Ville, at nine o'clock : something 
happened which prevented him from going ; but he 
sent word to the French ministers, that they might 
consider the treaty as having been signed, and that 
he would actually sign it on the following day. A 
courier from England arrived at night, with instruc- 
tions to him to refuse his assent to certain articles 
but Cornwallis was a man of such strict honou 



1802.] NAPOLEON RONAPARTE 151 

that he wrote to his government that he had prom- 
ised, and that, having once pledged his word, he 
wculd keep it; that, if they were not satisfied, they 
caight refuse to ratify the treaty. Bonaparte added 
that he was much grieved to hear of the marquis's 
death ; that some of his friends occasionally wrote 
to him, to request favours for prisoners in France, 
which he always granted. 

The treaty of Amiens, which consolidated the 
colossal power of Bonaparte, by conferring upon 
him the title of the Grand Pacificator, was not re- 
ceived with such joy in England as in France 
The new acquisitions of the French republic ap- 
peared to the eyes of the discontented English in 
the shape of usurpations or concessions, which Lord 
Cornwallis was by no means authorized to sanction. 
The circumstance that seemed the most surprising 
in France was, that Mr. Pitt, then no longer in the 
ministry, defended the treaty of Amiens with his 
usual eloquence. He said he had thought, and he 
still thought, that the restoration of monarchy in 
France would be a happy event, both for that coun- 
try and for Europe ; but as this object could not be 
obtained, his government, he thought, should avail 
itself of that which was actually within its reach, 
and take into consideration the present state of the 
two countries ; as the losses of France in its popu- 
lation, its capital, and its industry ; and to balance 
these with the advantages that England had ac- 
quireu ; as the union with Ireland ; the increased 
reputation of the arms of England upon sea and 
land ; the consolidation of the empire of the Indies, 
and the unexampled progress of commerce. . 

In March, Bonaparte announced to his good city 
of Paris his tieaty with Spain, by which Lou'sians' 






152 



mlmjirs of 



fisoa 



was given up to iae French republic, together with 
the dutchy of Parma, and the isle of Elba. Bona- 
parte's return from Lyons was announced in tha 
metropolis by repeated discharges of cannon, — a 
circumstance the more remarkable, as none of the 
ancient regime ever required such a compliment in 
the height of their prosperity. 

This personal elevation seemed tc have had a 
visible effect upon Bonaparte about this time, as it 
was observed that he assumed a greater degree of 
reserve, keeping not only his general officers, but 
his intimate acquaintance, more at a distance than 
ever. Even in his legislative councils, he began to 
display some arbitrary feelings ; and by that regu 
lation which caused one-fifth of the legislative, 
body to go out annually by ballot, he contrived tc 
get rid of considerable opposition. He had even 
the temerity to proscribe Chenier, the poet, who had 
been the author of one of the most popular songa 
in France, during the revolution, the famous Mar- 
sellois Hymn. Chenier, in fact, wrote most of the 
revolutionary songs at an early period, and greatly 
contributed to the animation of the public spirit; 
he was therefore considered as a dangerous per- 
son ; as was also Benjamin Constant, a persuasive 
orator, and known to be a man favourable to peace, 
3ut such a peace that should be followed by civil 
iberty, instead of military despotism. Hence many 
of the republican legislators began to perceive, thai 
any opposition offered to Napoleon must be attended 
with the loss of their situations and salaries. 

On the 6th of May, 1802, the definitive treaty of 
Amtei^ was presented to the French tribunate, on 
'vhicli occasion a proposition was made in that as- 
sembly, to confer somt striking mark of the pubyi«» 



!802] 



NAP.ILEON BONAPAKTE. 



LOi 



gratitude on the " Great Pacificator " This prcpo- 
Bal was agreed to, and having received vhe concur 
rence of the other constituent bodies, the senate, 
on the 8th, declared the re-election of Bonaparte 
to the consular digfiity for ten years, succeeding tho 
term for which he had been already chosen. When 
this proposal was communicated to the first con 
sul, he declared that "it ■vas the suffrages of the 
people that inves*;ed him with the chief magistracy, 
and that he should nDt consider himself secure ol 
possessing their confidence, if the act for retaining 
him in that situation should not be ratified by the 
public voice." In compliance with his wish, regis- 
ters were opened in the different departments, for 
mscribing the suffrages of the citizens ; but the 
question was materially changed; it now stood, 
" Shall Bonaparte be elected first consul for life ?" 
— A second question was subjoined ; " Shall Bona- 
parte be invested with the power of naming his 
successor ?" — Both questions were carried by an 
immense majority : 3,577,259 citizens voted in the 
affirmative, and 9074 in the negative. In the tri- 
bunate, only one dissentient voice was heard, that 
of Carnot, the minister at war. It was also op- 
posed in the senate by Garat, Sieyes, Gregoire, 
and Lanjunais. 

In pursuance of the plan proposed by the first 
eonsul, a new constitution was soon after laid be- 
fore the legislative body. It was finally arranged, 
and accepted in the course of a single sitting, and 
immediately proclaimed to the people. The con- 
suls were appointed for life. The first consul wag 
to present the names of the other two to the sen- 
ate, who might reject the first and second so offe:"- 
ei, but must accepi the third presimtation. Thfl 



154 MEMOIRS OP [1802. 

first consul was to name his successor, and to have 
the power of pardoning in all cases; o<^ making 
war and peace ; and to prescribe to the senate such 
subjects only that they might deliberate upon. 

To this oligarchal assembly also belonged the 
power of suspending the functions of juries ; of 
proclaiming departments out of the protection of 
the law ; of determining when persons arrested ir 
extraordinary cases were to be brought before the 
tribunals ; of dissolving the legislative body and 
vhe tribunate. 

The first consul, further considering his authori- 
ty "jicomplete, whilst any power was left in the state 
that did not immediately emanate from himself, and 
ever anxious to aggrandize the army, now deter- 
mined upon the formation of a military order of no- 
bility, under the designation of the Legion of Hon- 
our. To this the legislature agreed, and that it 
should be composed of fifteen cohorts, and a coun- 
cil of administration. Each cohort was to consist 
of seven grand officers, twenty commandants, thirty 
subordinate officers, and three hundred and fifly le- 
gionaries. He was always to be chief of the le- 
gion, and of the council of administration, and the 
members were to be appointed for life. The pay 
of each grand officer was to be five thousand francs, 
and of each legionary two hundred and fifly. All 
military men, who had received arms of honour, 
were members, as v^ell as those citizens who had 
rendered eminent services to the state in the late 
war, or who had caused the government to be re- 
Kf ected. Joseph Bonaparte, the brother of the 
first CO isul, was elected grand master of thia 
new order ; and, the more fully to riiet the interest 
«»f the government, the members of the grand 



Ubi 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



153 



eouiivd \.'t the legion of honour were appointed 
aiembera of the senate. In fact, to depress the 
aiithorit\ ol the legislative body, founded, thougli 
imperfectly, on the principle of representation, and 
to exalt \he ornate, who depended chiefly on the 
choice and nomination of the first consul, were 
the principal oujects of Napoleon, by which politi 
cal liberty was in a great measure annihilated. 

This acquisition of the consulship for life, and 
the terms obtained by the concordate with the pope, 
had filled the minds of the people at large with 
sensations of pride and gratitude. A new pontiff 
had been invested with the purple, as head of the 
Romish church, on the 13th of March, 1800: 
Chiaramonti, the pope elect, took the name of Pius 
VIL, and owed his promotion in a great measure 
to the influence which che first consul had exercised 
in the conclave. It seemed that he was inclined 
to take the conduct of one of his predecessors, 
Benedict XIV., as the model for his own. He sent 
Cardinal Gonsalvi into France, to negotiate a con- 
cordate upon bases a little less ultramontaine thar 
those of the famous concordate agreed to by Frap 
cis I. and Pope Leo X. 

On the 15th of July, 1801, a convention was 
signed by Joseph Bonaparte, brother of tlie consul 
and the two representatives of the holy see. Car- 
dinal Gonsalvi and Monsignor Spina, Archbishop 
of Corinth. This treaty, which had been kept se- 
cret by both parties, caused the re-opening of the 
churches, and was made public in Paris at the same 
nme as the treaty of Amiens, bc-^g solemnly pro- 
mulgated on Easter day, by sound of trumpets and 
several discharges of artillery. The pomp of such 
'* religions ceremony in a city where nothing of the 



156 



MEMOIRS OF 



[18021 



Kind had been witnessed for many years, and the 
brilliant procession, in which the pope's legate fig- 
ured with the first consul, collected ^ innumerable 
spectators, wh3 could not conceal the pleasure they 
felt in this partial restoration of the religion of their 
fathers. 

The answer given by Bonaparte to the message 
from the conservative s-^nnte, announcing Ihe pro- 
longation of his consuirihip for ten years, contain- 
ed expressions in some degree prophetic : " For- 
tune," said he, " has smiled upon the republic ; but 
Fortune is inconstant : how many men, upon whom 
she has heaped her favours, have not lived too long 
by some years ! The interest of my glory and hap- 
pinesss seems to have marked the period of my pub- 
lie life, at the moment when the peace of the world 
is proclaimed : but you think that I owe the nation 
a new sacrifice ; I will make it, if the wishes of the 
people correspond with the command authorized by 
your sufirages." 

This personal elevation had its ample share in 
contributing to the number of Bonaparte's enemies 
[n fact, it does in some measure appear astonishing, 
how any individual could persuade a whole nation 
day after day, to yield him up such a portion of 
their rights and privileges. However, among many 
instances that might be adduced of Napoleon's pow- 
er of persuasion, one that occurred about this peri ■ 
od is not the least remarkable. 

In the begiuning of the summer of 1802, somo 
officers of rank, enthusiastic republicans, took con- 
siderable umbrage at Bonaparte's conduct, and de- 
termined to go and remonstrate with him upon the 
points that had given them oflTence, and to speak 
their n inds to him very freely In tne e^er'^ng of 




£802.] NAPOLKON BONAPARTii 157 

the same Jay, one of the party gave the following 
tccjimt of the interview: 

" I do not know whence it arises, but there is a 
charm about that man, which is indescribable and 
irre^stible. I am no admirer of his ; I dislike the 
^ower to which he has risen: yet I cannot help 
confessing, that there is something in him which 
^eems to speak him born to command. We went 
nto his apartment, determined to declare our minds 
o him ; to expostulate with him warmly, and not to 
iepart till our subjects of complaint were removed. 
But in his manner of receiving us there was a cer- 
tain je ne sais quoi, which disarmed us in a mo- 
ment; nor could we utter one word of what we had 
intended to say. He talked to us for a long time, 
with an eloquence peculiarly his own, explaining, 
with the utmost clearness and precision, the neces- 
sity for steadily pursuing the line of conduct he had 
adopted, and, without contradicting us in direct 
terms, controverted our opinion so ably, that we had 
not a word to say in reply ; so that we left him, hav- 
ing done nothing else but listen to him, instead of 
expostulating with him ; and fully convinced, at least 
for the moment, that he was in the right, and that 
we were in the wrong." 

During the summer of 1802, Paris was visited 
by a very great number of Englishmen of rank and 
distinction, and, among the rest, by Mr. Fox, wha 
was received by the first consul, and indeed by the 
whole French nation, with the highest marks of 
honour and respect. His arrival in France was an- 
nounced in the Moniteur : even at Calais, Mr. and 
Mrs. Fox were waited on by the municipality in 
their scarfs, when, after expressing his congratuia- 

VOL. I. 14 L 



158 MEMOIRS OF [1&02 

tions, the mayor inquired of Mrs. Fox, if tney would 
i>r<ler any particular play for the evening. At 
Lisle, Mr. Fox experienced similar attentions, the 
theatre being illuminated for his reception. At Par- 
is, crowds hastened to haiV him: he here received 
addresses from all the learned and public bodies 
he was visited by persons of the greatest celebrity ,- 
and his reception at the new French court was per- 
fectly flattering. To talk of Mr. Fox was not 
enough : it became the rage with the Parisians to 
imitate his speaking, his dress, his manners, bis 
looks, his habits, and even his dinners. It was the 
fashion to be a thinking man — to think like Mr. 
Fox ! Not only among statesmen and generals was 
Mr. Fox distinguished, and his society courted ; he 
attracted every eye at the opera ; his picture wab 
in every window, and medallions bore his likeness^ 
while the enchanting Madame Recamier, constant 
in her attentions to him, whirled or paraded him 
through the whole circle of beaux and elegantes.-^ 
" Come," said she, " I must keep my promise, and 
show you on the promenade. The people of Paris 
must always have a spectacle : before you came, / 
was the fashion ; it is a point of honour, therefore, 
ll at I should not appear jealous of you. You 
must attend me, sir." 

Whatever were his intentions, Bonaparte there- 
lore enj€>yed the satisfaction of knowing that he 
had secured his object. Mr. Fox, we are assured, 
always recalled this period of his life with satis- 
faction. " Bonaparte," observed Mr. Fox, afte/ 
Iheir interviews together, " is a man as magnifiijent 
in his means, as in his ends; he is a most decided 
character, and will hold his pui-pose with more con 
^tancy, and through a longer interval than is im 



1802 ! 



NAPOLEOiX BOxNAI'ASiTE. 



15^ 



ag'.ned ; his views are not directed to tliis kingdom 
he looks only to the continent. His commercial 
enmity is but a temporary measure, and never in- 
tended to be acted upon as permanent policy."— 
" I never saw," added Mr. Fox, on another occa- 
sion, " so little indirectness in any statesman as in 
the first consul. He made no secret of his de- 
signs." 

Napoleon, during his residence at St. Helena, 
having occasion to speak of Mr. Fox, which he did 
in very warm terms, mentioned the cordial recep- 
tion he met with in France, and related, that one 
day Mr. Fox went with his family to see St. Cloud, 
where there was a private cabinet, which had not 
been opened for some time, and was never shown 
to ^ trangers. By some accident. Fox and his wife 
ope led the door and entered. There he saw the 
Stat es of a number of great men, chiefly patriots 
such as Sydney, Hampden, Washington, Cicero 
Lord Chatham, and, among the rest, his own, which 
was hrst recognised by his wife, who said, " My 
dear, this is yours !" This little incident, though 
triflmg, gained Fox great honour, and spread 
directly through Paris. 

Unfortunately for the continuance of the promis- 
ed happiness of this period, the war of words, which 
finally led to a rupture of the peace of Amiens, 
commenced soon afler the treaty had been signed. 
On the 4th of June, 1802, a despatch from Mr. 
Mf rry, the British minister at Paris, was received 
by Lor i Hawkesbury, secretary of state, stating 
that M. Talleyrand had complained to him of the 
countenance given by the British court to the 
French princes, the d-devant French bishops ; to 
^rorofes, and other individuals inimical to the Frencli 



160 



MEMOIRS OF 



1802 



government , that it was the first consul i wish 
that the British government should remove tnose 
persons out of the British dominions ; and he 
thought the raidence of Louis XVI II., then at 
Warsaw was the proper place for the rest of the 
family. M. Talleyrand added, that the first con- 
sul solicited no more than the British government 
had demanded of France when the pretender re- 
sided in that country. 

In the month of July, M. Otto, the French min- 
ister at London, transmitted a note to Lord Hawkes- 
bury, demanding, in the name of his government, 
the punishment of M. Peltier, for a gross libel 
which he had published on the first consul and 
the whole French nation. He also complained of 
the libellous paragraphs in the Courier dc Loud es, 
a French paper published in London, and other by 
Mr. Cobbett, &c. 

In September, the senatus consultum at 1 aria 
passed an act, by which Piedmont was for lally 
united to France. It was divided into six de- 
partments ; the Sezia, the Po, the Doria, the Stura, 
the Tanaro, and the Marengo. 

In the month of October, a despatch from Mr. 
Liston, dated from the Hague, was addressed to 
Lord Hawkesbury, complaining that a French corps 
of ten or eleven thousand men, who were to have 
been withdrawn from Holland on the conclusion of 
the definitive treaty with Great Britain, still re- 
mained there. As to the guarantees for Malta, in 
case of i\ir giving it up, there also seemed to be 
no small reluctance in Prussia and Russia. In tha 
mean time Lord Whitworth had repaired to Paris, 
in the capacity of British minister at the court o^ 
the Tuilleries. and M. Otto was superseded bv Oen 



IS02.J NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 161 

firal Andreossi, at the court of St James. Lord 
Whitv/ortli received a despatch from Lord Hawkes- 
nury, dated November 30, 1802, which related to 
a complaint made against England, of delaying the 
fiJfilment of one of the conditions of the treaty of 
Amiens, that provides for our evacuation of Egypt 
On this subject his lordship was instructed to state, 
that, although General Stuart had informed Colonel 
Sebastiani of his inability to leave Egypt till he 
should receive specific orders for that purpose, yet 
that this delay had arisen entirely from a misander- 
standing on the part of the general : but, to obviate 
any further difficulties, fresh instructions had been 
sent to him, directing him to remove the king's 
troops from that country as soon as possible. 

From these, and similar causes of contention still 
nourished by the enemies of Peace, it was easy to 
see that her olive branch would not wave much 
onger over the nations that had scarcely begun to 
experience her blessings. The interval she had 
this year introduced, was only a pause between the 
shocks of an earthquake about to renew its devas- 
tation. But even at this period, still distant from 
the winding up of the catastrophe, Europe had al- 
ready been shaken to its centre, and whole nations 
had alternately appeared upon the theatre of war, 
inconsequence of the French revolution, the issue of 
which had even then baffled all human calculation. 

Forced to entertain fourteen armies at once, to 
oppose a proportionate resistance to the enemy's 
preparations, France was compelled to search for 
men capable of commanding amongst her own 
population. They appeared as soon as called for, 
and, spreading thsmselves wherever the flames of 
A'ar we 'e lightec" up, they every where performed 
14^ 



162 MEMOIRS OF" 1^1802 

proa gies. As victories becaire more frequem. 
bravery, excited by emulation, hscame more bril- 
liant ; and the battles, in which the greatest num 
ber of warriors were engaged, were of the m'>st 
sanguinary description. The French armies, that 
fought at great distances from each other, animated 
their own courage by the communication of the de- 
tails of their mutual success, which, in an energ^et- 
ic manner, they then called exchanging victories. 
From this reciprocal ambition of glory, and the 
general concourse of so many minds, excited by 
military enthusiasm, the natural result of all was, 
what actually happened, a general agitation 
throughout Europe. 

The memory of any invasion of territory upon a 
grand scale had been lost in Europe for a consid- 
erable period. But the French revolution, in 
breaking the bands that had united the various 
states, at once destroyed that equilibrium that the 
different courts had established at so great an ex- 
pense, and in which their principal safety consist- 
ed. United against France alone, these same courts 
gave a fatal example to the great nation tliey wish- 
ed to punish, and which inspired it with a wish for 
vengeance, that for a long time remained unallayed. 

The French nation, irritated by the efforts made 
to compress it within narrower limits, caused its 
armies to overrun several countries at once, and 
they seemed resolved not to lay down their arms 
till they should have converted their vanquished 
foes mto friends or subjects. Such a system, fol- 
lov ed up with such obstinacy that nothing but the 
force of the elements could prevent its entire de- 
'^elopement, could not but produce those unexpect- 
ed revolutions, which all at once transformed thf 



1802.] 



N\I'OLEON KONAI'AUTR. 



\m 



face of several states. In fact, what epoca warn 
ever so fi jitful in great changes ? When did the 
fortune of war exercise a more powerful influence, 
or give place to so many political vicissitudes ? 
Some nations were expunged from the map of Eu- 
rope ; great states were weakened ; thrones over 
turned ; republics established, and kingdoms ere 
ated ; princes became obscure individuals, and ob- 
scure individuals became princes and kings. All 
the ancient social relations were destroyed ; con 
stitutions abolished or modified ; a new direction 
given to commerce, and an immense spring com- 
municated to every branch of civilization, in the 
midst of a general war, without end or object. 

Such was the spectacle worthy the observation 
3f all ages, which the astonishing events of the 
French revolution presented, in its rise and prog- 
ress. 

Torn by this intestine war, and at the same time 
attacked by all the powers of Europe, France, af- 
ter the battle of Neerwinden, saw foreign armies 
suddenly precipitating themselves upon her territo- 
ry like a torrent. What energy must not those men 
have possessed, who did not despair of saving the 
country at such a moment as this ! But, notwith- 
standing this danger, new armies were organized 
and for a long time sustained the struggle with 
great loss. French soldiers seemed to derive ad- 
vantages from defeats. Generals were formed in 
the art of commanding and manoeuvring upon 
their own frontiers. At length . the battles of Honds- 
ehoot and Watigney were gained ; the lines of 
Weissemburg were forced, and the victory of Fleu- 
rus opened to the French a career of victory, which 
tvas on'y suspende/1 hy the treaty of Amiens io 
lb02. 



164 



MEMCIRS OF 



1803 



CHAPTER XII. 



Etmptoms of an approaching Rwptiire — A Despmch frcm lAKd 
' WhitwoH/i — Philippic against English Newspipers — Maiia-^ 
Report 0/ the French Colonel Sebastianion tlie Stale of E^ypt 




■ Dignifie 

tlie First Consul — Veracity of Lord WhitvmWs Statemsenis 
of Bonaparte's Ccnwersation strongly impeached — Negotia 
tions at Paris — Arrival of Lord Whitworth frcmi Paris-^ 
CrnimejwemenL of Hostilities, and Seizure of British Subjects 
in France — French Declaration — Invasion of Hanover- 
Blockade of the Elbe and the Weser. 

EvEJS previous to the commencement of this 
year, peace might have been seen gradually vanish- 
ing from the clouded hemisphere of politics ; but now 
of its final departure very little doubt remained. 
A despatch from Lord Whitworth to Lord Hawkes- 
bury, dated Paris, 27th of January, consisted of the 
report of a conversation that had taken place on 
the Tuesday evening preceding, relative to two 
points equally important to the maintenance of a 
good understanding between the two countries. 
This occurred between Lord Whitworth and M. 
Talleyrand, who pronounced a most bitter philippic 
against English newspapers, and assured Lord 
Whitworth that the first consul was extremely 
hurt to find that his endeavours to conciliate, had 
hitherto produced no other effect than to increase 
their abuse. To this his lordship replied, that 
whatever wfr said in the English papers might be 
tonsic'.ered as a retal iation for what was published 
va those of France. Secocdly, that viliJi^ was ofS 



1B03.;; 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



165 



cially published iiv that country was by no meana 
so in England ; that the English government could 
not have any similar control over the papers, as 
the first consul had in France ; and that till lie 
could so far master his feelings, as to be indiifereni 
to the scurrility of the English prints, this state of 
irritation must remain w^ithout a remedy. On the 
subject of the evacuation of Malta, the French 
minister said, another grand master would soon he 
elected, and that all the guarantees were ready, ex- 
cepting those of Russia, whose scruples on tliat 
point would be easily overcome ; consequently, the 
time would very soon arrive, when Great Britain 
could have no pretext for retaining possession of 
Malta. To this I^ord Whitworth replied, that he 
would report this conversation to the English sec- 
retary of state for foreign affairs, and would com- 
municate the answer to the French minister, as 
soon as it was received. 

In this answer the British minister was directed 
to reply, " That the late treaty of peace was nego- 
tiated on a basis not merely proposed by his majes- 
ty, but specially agreed to in an official note by the 
French government, viz. that his majesty should 
keep a compensation out of his conquests, for the 
important acquisitions of territory made by France 
upon the continent ; and that his majesty was ^^ ar- 
ranted in claiming equivalents for these acqiisi- 
tions, as a counterpoise to the augmentation of the 
power of France His majesty, however, anxious 
to prevent all grounds of misunderstanding, wag 
willing to have waived the pretensions he rwght 
have of this nature, if the notice of his government 
had not been attracted by the very extraordinary 
publication of the report of Colonel Sebastiani ta 



.J 



166 



MfiMoms ov 



[1803 



the first consul. His majesty, therefore, cotld no 
regard the conduct of the French government on 
various occasions, w^ithout feeling it necessary foi 
hira distinctly to declare, that it would be impossi- 
ble for him to enter into any further discussions 
relative to Malta, unless he should obtain satisfac- 
tory explanation on the subject of this communica- 
tion. 

The report of Colonel Sebastiani, inserted in tiie 
Moniteur of the 30th of January, consists of ob- 
servations made in the discharge of a mission, un- 
dertaken by order of the French government, to the 
principal cities of Syria and Egypt. The remarks 
of the colonel are more military than commercial. 

Napoleon, whilst at St. Helena, seemed to think, 
ihat, had Fox lived, there would have been a peace, 
and that England would have been contented and 
happy. " He was," said he, " received with a sort 
of triumph in every city iii France, through which 
he passed. Fetes, and every honour the inhabitants 
could confer, were spontaneously offered wherever 
he was knowm. It must have been a most gratify- 
insr sensation to him, to be received in such a man- 
ner by a country which had been so long hostile to 
his own, particularly when he saw that they were 
the genuine sentiments of the people. Pitt, prob- 
ably, would have been murdered. I liked Fox, and 
loved to converse with him." 

Napoleon recounted the noble manner in which 
Mr. Fox had related to him the proposal made tc 
assassinate him while he was in the administration, 
which generous act Bonaparte did not fail to com- 
pare with the treatment he received at St. Helena, 
and with the attempts made upon his life by hired 
wretches in 1803, who were landed in Frince by 



1^03.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 167 

British ships of war. He also mentionea what 
many persons well remember, viz. that his assas- 
tjination had been recommended in the English 
ministerial newspapers of the time as a merito- 
rious action. 

Alluding to these assassins, Napoleon said, " They 
had republished in London, at the same time, a 
pamphlet, called ' Killing no Murder,^ wh.ch had 
been originally printed in Cromwell's time, for the 
purpose of inculcating a belief that assassinating 
me was a praiseworthy and meritorious action, and 
by no means a crime. Fox, indeed, was of a con- 
trary opinion. That great man wrote to Talley- 
rand, and informed him that a coquin (a scoundrel) 
had applied to him in. London, with a proposal to 
assassinate me." 

On the 26th of February, 1803, a personage of 
prominent distinction, employed by high authority, 
waited on the king of France at Warsaw, and ver 
bally made to his majesty,, in terms the most re 
spectful, but at the same time the most urgent, and, 
in the opinion of him who urged them, the most 
persuasive, the most astonishing proposal to re- 
nounce the throne of France, and to require tho 
same renunciation on the part of all the members 
of the Bourbon family: the envoy moreover ob- 
served, that, as a price of this sacrifice, Bonaparte 
would secufe mdemnities to his majesty, and even 
a splendid establishment. His majesty, strongly 
animated by that sentiment which is never oblite- 
rated from elevated minds, immediately wrote the 
following answer, which he delivered on the 2Sth 
Bf February, to the person who was deputed U 
bim. 



168 



MEMOIRS OF 



1803 



ANSWER OF THE KING. 

" I aEi far from being inclined to confound M 
Bonaparte with those who have preceded hini. 1 
think highly of his valour and liis military talents. 
Neither do I feel ungratoidl for many acts of his 
administration ; for whatever is done for the bene- 
fit of my people, shall always be dear to my heart. 
He is deceived, however, if he imagines that he 
can induce me to forego my claims ; for otherwise 
he himself would confirm and establish them, could 
they be called in question, by the very step he has 
now taken. 

" I cannot pretend to know what may have been 
the intention of the Almighty, respecting my race 
and myself, but I am well aware of the obligations 
imposed upon me, by the rank to which he was 
pleased I should be born. As a Christian, I shall 
continue to fulfil these obligations to my last breath. 
As a descendant of St. Louis, I shall endeavour to 
imitate his example, by respecting myself, even in 
captivity and in chains. As successor of Francis 
the First, I shall at least aspire to say with him, 
• JVe have lost every thing hut our honour.^ 



(Signed) 



« Louis." 



On the 2d ot March, the king wrote to Mon- 
gieury acquainting him with what had passed, and 
instructing him to make known the same to the 
princes of the blood who were in England, taking 
charge himself to inform such of them respecting it 
who did not reside in that country. On the 22d ol 
April, Monsieur called a n^eeting of the princes, 
vfbo^ with eciual alacrity and unanimity, signed &ii 



1803 ] N\POLEON BONAPARTE. 169 

adhesion to the answer of the king, of the 28th of 
Febr'iary. 

This overture left no doubt on the minds of per 
sons of discernment, that Bonaparte, having deter- 
mined to extinguish even the name of republic in 
France, aspired to the imperial purple ; and the 
pvents which rapidly succeeded confirmed what at 
first appeared to be mere conjecture. 

But to return to the complaints respecting Mal- 
ta, and other obstacles to the continuance of peace 
on the part of Great Britain. It appears that, on 
the 18th of March, Lord Whitworth received a 
message from the first consul, requesting to see 
him at the Tuilleries. At this interview, Bona- 
parte entered into a heated expostulation respect- 
ing the provocations he had received from England ; 
and principally he complained of the non-evacua- 
tion of Malta, and of the abuse thrown cut against 
him in the English papers. He said, "he would 
rather see Britain in possession of the Fauxbourg 
St. Antoine than of Malta." In speaking of Egypt, 
he said, that, if he had felt the smallest inclination 
to take possession of it by force, he might have 
done it a month ago, by sending 25,000 men to 
Aboukir- " This he should not do, whatever might 
be his desire to have it for a colony, because he did 
not think it worth the risk of a war : sooner or la- 
ter, Egypt would belong to France, either by the 
falling to pieces of the Turkish empire, or by some 
arrangement with the Porte." — "As a proof of hia 
desire to maintain peace, he wished to know what 
he had to gain by going to war with England. A 
descent w£iS the only means of offence he had, and 
chat he was determined to attempt, by puttmg him 
self at the head of the expedition." — He acknowJ 

VOL. 1. 15 



17( 



MEMOIRS OF 



1803 



edged there were a hundred chances to one againsi 
/lirn, but still he was determined to attempt it, if war 
should be the consequence of the present discus- 
sion. He then expatiated on the natural force 
of the two countries. France, with an army of 
480,000 men — for to this amount it is, said he, to be 
immediately completed — all ready for the most des- 
perate enterprises ; and England with a fleet that 
made her mistress of the seas, and which he did not 
think he should be able to equal in less than ten 
years. Two such countries, by a proper under- 
standing, might govern the world, but by their 
strifes might overturn it. The first consul conclu- 
ded with declaring — " To preserve peace, the trea 
ty of Amiens must be fulfilled ; the abuse in the 
English prints, if not totally suppressed, at least 
kept within bounds ; and the protection so openly 
given to his bitterest enemies must be withdrawn 
If war, it was necessary only to say so, and to re- 
fuse to fulfil the treaty." 

For some days Lord Whitworth had no means ol 
ascertaining the effects produced on the mind of 
the f-rst consul by his latest communications ; but 
as the court was held at the Tuilleries on Sunday, 
March 13, his lordship, in his despatch of the 14th, 
said, " The first consul accosted me evidently un- 
der very considerable agitation. He began by ask- 
ing me if I had any news from England. I told him 
I had received letters two days ago. He immediate- 
ly said, ' And so you are determined to go to war ?' 
' No,' I replied, ' we are too sensible of the ad- 
vantages of peace.' — ' We have already,' said he, 
' waged w ar these fifteen years.' — As he seemed 
to wait fo" an answer, I observed, ' That is already 
lo) long.' — ' But,' said he, 'you wish me to carr? 



1803.] NAPOI EON BONAPARTE. 17 J 

t on for fifteen years more, and you compel ine to 
it.' — I told him tJiat was very far from his majes- 
ty's intention. He then proceeded to Count Ma'- 
coff, and the Ciievalier .Azzara, who were standing 
tog-ether at a little distance from me, and said to 
them, 'The English wish for war; but if they be 
he first to* draw the sword, I shall be the last to 
sheath it. They pay no regard to treaties. We 
must henceforth cover treaties with black crape.' — 
He then went his round. In a few minutes he came 
back to me, and resumed the conversation, if such 
•t can be called, by saying something- personally 
;ivil to me — ' Why these armaments ,^ Against 
whom are these measures of precaution ? I have 
not a single ship of the line in the ports of France ; 
but if you will arm, I must arm too: if you will go 
to war, I must go to war also. You may perhaps 
be able to destroy France, but not to intimidate 
her.' — ' We desire,' said I, ' neither the one nor 
the other. We wish to live in good understanding 
with her.' ' It is requisite, then, to pay regard to 
treaties — wo to those who pay no regard to trea- 
ties : they shall be responsible to all Europe.' — 
All this passed loud enough to be heard by two 
Hundred people who were present." 

Lord Whitworth a Ided his persuasion, " that 
there was not a single person in the room, who did 
not feel the extreme impropriety of Bonaparte's 
conduct, and the total want of dignity, as well as of 
decency, on this occasion." 

M. Talleyrand, in answer to Lord Whitworirs 
representation on this treatment, assured him it waa 
far from the first consul's wish to distress him 
but he had felt himself personally i.nsulted by thf 
'i^harges brought against him by the English gov 



£72 



MEMOIRS OF 



[ISOi 



ernment, and it was incumbent on him lo take 
the first oppoFiUnity of excu.'pating himself in the 
presence of the ministers of the different powers 
df Europe. 

But when Napoleon, during his exile, was ques- 
tioned as to the manner in which this famous inter- 
view with Lord Whitworth was carried' on, he an- 
swered, " I was by no means violent. Lord Whit- 
worth said, on leaving the room, that he was well 
satisfied with me, and contented with the manner in 
which I had treated him, and hoped that all would 
go on well. This he said to some of the ambassa- 
dors of the other powers. A few days afterwards, 
when the English newspapers arrived with his ac- 
count of the interview^, stating that I had been in 
such a rage, it excited the astonishment of every 
body, especially of those ambassadors, who remon- 
strated with him, and said, ' My lord, how can this 
account be correct ? You know that you allowed 
to us that you were well contented and satisfied 
with your reception, and stated your opinion, that 
all would go on well.' — He did not know what to 
answer, and said, ' But this account is also true ! ' " 

Another anecdote related of Lord Whitworth by 
Napoleon, whilst at St. Helena, seems to possess a 
still less portion of credibility; "Two days before 
Lord Whitworth left Paris, an offer was made to 
the French minister, and others about Bonaparte, 
of thirty millions of francs, and to acknowledge 
him as king of France, provided he would give up 
his claims upon Malta to England !" 

Still the British ambassador was not withdrawn 
but carrieO on negotiations till his government pro- 
ceeded so far as to require the cession of Malta by 
the Fiench, when the ambassador was told, that nd 



1803.J NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 1 73 

consideration on earth would induce the first con 
Bul to consent to the cession of Malta in perpetui 
ty in any shape whatever. This was given up bj 
uhc British ndnister, who gave his consent to hold 
Malta %r a certain number of years to be agreed 
upon, provided the island of Lampedosa could be 
obtained of the king of Sardinia. Lord Whit- 
worth then begged M. Talleyrand to congider that 
England was actually in possession of Malta, and 
tliat therefore every modification, tending to limit 
that, was, in fact, a concession on the part of his 
Britannic majesty. 

This argument, so nearly allied to an insult, com- 
ing from the mouth of an ambassador, was little 
calculated to soften the untoward disposition of the 
first consul. Accordingly, on the next day, M. 
Talleyrand was instructed to declare, that the first 
consul " would on no terms hear either of a per- 
petual or a temporary possession of Malta, (for ten 
years,) and that, rather than submit to such an ar- 
rangement, he would even consent to our keeping it 
for ever ; on the ground that, in the one case, there 
was an appearance of generosity and magnanimi- 
ty ; but in the other, nothing but weakness and the 
effect of coercion ; that, therefore, his resolution 
was taken, and what he had to propose was, the 
possession we required of the island of Lampedo- 
sa, or any of the other small isles, of which there 
are three or four between Malta and the coast of 
Afrfca, sufficient for a station in the Mediterrane- 
an as a place of refuge and security for any squad- 
ron we might find it convenient to keep in that sea.** 

In a third conversation, that took place on Satur- 
day the 23(': of April, but with no material varia 
Hon, the French minister offered Lampedosa, ^nd 
15* M 



174 



MEMOIRS OF 



SiU3 



Lord Whit woith peremptorily rt/quirrd the forn-ai 
cession of Malta. On the 26th of Apri], Lord 
Whitworth communicated the ultimahim of the 
English court verbally to M. Talleyrand, who desired 
feo have it s*>ated in writing ; but to this Lord Whit- 
worth strangely replied, " he had no authority to da 
so, and he would not take the responsibility upon 
himself" The French minister forcibly, but una- 
vailinofly, replied, " that verbal and fugitive conver- 
sations \» are insufficient for the discussion of such 
immense interests, in which no expression could be 
indifferent." — He at length, however, consented to 
receive the verbal notification of Lord Whitworth, 
who desired M. Talleyrand to recollect, that Tues- 
day, May 3d, must be the day of his departure. 

Lord Whitworth afterwards complained of the 
delays of the French government ; but these were 
evidently occasioned by his refusal to comnmnicate 
the ultimalum of his court in writing. A mode oi 
proceeding so totally new excited the greatest sur- 
prise, when the rupture of a formal treaty was in 
question, and yet, after several days had been 
spent in fruitless expectation, the first consul, to 
show his desire for peace, ordered that the verba] 
propositions of Lord Whitworth should be replied to 
in the same manner as if they had been regularly 
nmde under the official signature of the ambassa- 
dor. It also appeared, that the high and haughty 
spirit of the first consul, moderated, in all proba- 
bility, by the persuasions of Talleyiand, at length 
ynlded to circumstances; and, no longer insisting 
on the evacuation of Malta, he was willing to refei 
the question to the other contracting powers of the 
treaty of Amiens. The British minister, it seems, 
evaded any conclusion respecting the cesaloa 



t803. 



Napoleon bonaparte. 



175 



»f Malta, under the pretext, conveyed in an official 
Qote, that Russia had refuse^' her guarantee, though 
the emperor of Germany and Prussia still remain- 
ed as such. This was a false assertion , for, nearly 
at the same hour, " Providence," Napoleon observ- 
ed, " which is sometimes pleased to confound bad 
faith, caused a courier to arrive from Russia, ad- 
dressed to tlie plenipotentiaries of that power at 
Paris, and at Lojidon, by which his majesty, the 
emperor of Russia, manifested, with particular en- 
ergy, the pain he felt, at learning the resolution of 
his Britannic majesty to keep Malta. He renewea 
the assurances of his guarantee, and ' declared that 
he accepted the demand made of his mediation by 
the first consul, if both the powers would accede 
to it.' " 

Lord Whitworth, being informed of the misrep- 
resentation of his court, with respect to Rjssia, 
without entering into any explanation, or making 
any endeavour to contradict or discuss this declara- 
tion, informed the French minister, that he was or- 
dered to depart within thirty-six hours after the de 
livery of his last note, and renewed his demand foi 
passports, which were forwarded to him, and he left 
Paris on the 13th of May, 1803, to return no mwe 

In England, at this crisis, nothing was hearkened 
to, which could tend in the lee st to fix the charge 
of culpability, or even indiscretion, on ministers- 
On the contrary, it was gravely and pompously said 
to be " a war, not for Malta, but for Egypt ; not for 
Egypt, but for India ; not for India, but for Eng- 
and ;" and such puerilities passed as equivalent la 
njst and log cal conclusions. It necessarily follows, 
ihat the absolute and peremptory determination of 
the English government to retain possession oi 



176 



MEMOIRS OF 



[180ii 



Malta, in contempt or defiance of the treaty of 
Amiens, was a flagrant and inexcusable \'iolation oi 
public faith, and resembled the pretext for the 
memorable war with Holland in 1672. 

Thus it will appear, that Malta was made the 
apple of discord, and the fatal brand, by which the 
flames of war, scarcely extinguished, were agaiii 
lighted up. 

On the 19th of May, 1803, Lord Whitworth ar- 
rived in London from Paris, and, on the day preced- 
mg, his Britannic majesty's declaration of war had 
been issued. The peace of Amiens had continued 
one year and sixteen days. In the course of a 
few days after this declaration had appeared, the 
first consul gave orders for the seizure of all the 
British subjects in France, and in those countries 
occupied by the French armies. These persons, it 
'B understood, were either shut up in prisons, or 
confined to particular places, as prisoners of war, 
upon parole; and, according to the words of the 
first consul's decree, were " to answer for those 
citizens of the republic, who may have been made 
prisoners by the subjects of his Britannic ma- 
jesty previous to any declaration of war." Up- 
wards of 11,000 persons were said to have been 
arrested in France, in consequence of this unex- 
pected measure. These consisted of many of the 
nobility, commercial men, and travellers. The seiz- 
ure of two French merchant vessels in the Bay of 
A idierne, by two English frigates, was stated as 
the immediate cause of this retaliating measure. 
But Napoleon asserted to O'Meara, that there was 
property to the amount of many millions, (of francs ) 
and above 200 ships seized, before he detained the 
English in France. 



1803.J 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



17' 



All the French armies were now put ii motion 
that of Italy was strongly re-anforced ; and on tie 
gide of Germany they were no less active. A con- 
siderable French army was assembled in Holland, 
and another on the frontiers of Hanover, by which 
that electorate was soon overrun, notwithstanding 
the duke of Cambridge was sent over as command- 
er-in-chief. The proclamations he issued there^ 
calling upon all the inhabitants, capable of bearing 
arms, to rallv round the standard of their country, 
produced no material effect upon the people, who 
seemed more disposed to listen to the warning voice 
of the French general, than to the patriotic calls 
of a British prince. The city of Hanover was oc- 
cupied on the 5th of June, and a decree was soon 
issued by Bonaparte, prohibiting the navigation of 
the rivers Elbe and Weser by the vessels of Brit- 
ish merchants, which rivers were soon declared in 
a state of blockade by the English. In the month 
of September, several towns on the French coast 
were bombarded, particularly Dieppe and Gran 
ville, as were also the Dutch ports from the Zand- 
voort, in the vicinity of Haerlem, to ScheveniD 
^80, 9n«l many vessels destroyed. 



^7& 



MIMOIRS OF 



1804 



CHAPTER XIIl. 

Anmail French Expose — Discovery of the Plot of Piclmgru awa 
Georges — Qise of Captain Wright — Napoleon's own AccourA 
"f tlie Conspiracy — Defence of the Execution of the Dulu 
D'Engriien — Duplicity of Talleyrand — Violation of the Ger- 
man Territory — Bntish Envoy charged with traitorous Con 
dtxt — Bonaparte proclaimed Emperor of tlie French — Froma 
tinn of great Officers and Generals — Protest of Louis X VIll 
— Arrival of the Pope at Paris — Ceremony of BonapaHe^ 
Coronation — M. David's grand Picture — Refusal of the Otto- 
man Porte to acknowledge Bonaparte as Emperor of France — 
Preparations for an invasion of England — Napoleon visits 

. Boulogne— Aiiecdote. 



The French legislative body was assembled on 
the 7th of January, 1804, and on the 16th the an- 
nual exposi of the state of the republic was sub- 
mitted to that assembly. This was the last publi- 
cation in which the ruler of France was to be con 
templated as a citizen, giving an account to his fel- 
low-citizens of the origin and success of his meas- 
ures ; but this represented the state of the repub- 
iic in the most captivating colours. This expose 
was designed to show, that the war had not even 
interrupted the plans marked out for a time of 
Deace : the construction of roads, bridges and liar- 
Dours, as well as the promotion of all objects of a 
similar nature, proceeded with undiminished zeal 
and activity. The finances were described as be- 
ing in the most prosperous situation. The reven- 
ues were collected with unprecedented facility, and 
public credit had maintained itself against the shocks 
t>f wur. In Hai over, success had invaiiably at 



1804.] NAPOLEON BONAPAKTE. 179 

tended the French troops ; the Hanoverian army, 
to the number of twenty-five thousand men, had 
laid down their arms, and the cavalry of the repub- 
lic had been remounted, at the expense of a pos- 
session dear to the king of England. It was in 
conclusion declared, that France would never ac- 
knowledge less advantageous conditions than those 
of the treaty of Amiens ; that the most perfect 
harmony subsisted with the United States, Helve- 
tia, Italy, and the Ottoman empire ; and that the 
tranquillity given to the continent by the treaty of 
Luneville was secured and ratified by the pro- 
ceedings of the diet of Ratisbon. 

The public mind being thus prepared to repose 
implicit confidence in Napoleon's government, an 
event occurred which materially contributed to ac- 
celerate the completion of his projects, and to ele- 
vate him to the summit of his ambition. Early in 
the month of February, a plot was detected, the ob 
ject of which was the overthrow of the existing 
government. The principal persons implicated in 
this conspiracy were. General Pichegru, Georges, 
Cadoudal, formerly a leader of the insurgents m 
Brittany, and LajoUais, a confidant of General Mo- 
reau. It likewise appeared, to a certain extent, 
that this general had been made acquainted with 
Pichegru's views, and that he had held secret meet- 
ings with that general, since his return from Eng- 
'and to Paris. Lajollais, Moreau, and several eth- 
ers, were soon put under an arrest, and the treason 
against the consular government announced to the 
republic, in a report to the first consul, made by 
Regnier, the minister of justice, who ascribed the 
whole plot to England t.nd hor emissarias. On the 
Vromulgafio of this report, the genius of the 



180 



MEMOIRS OF 



[180^ 



French nation displayed itself n a profusion o! 
legislative propositions, and in copious addresses 
The tribunate, the senate, and the legislative oody 
all vied v^^ith each other in terns of courtly adu 
latj^i, vvhich was followed by h.e army and navy 
''' . the addresses of felicitation delivered from the 
:<i«nate, the legislative body, and tlie tribunate, the 
first consul replied : 

" Since I have attained the supreme magistra- 
cy, many plots have been formed against my life 
Educated in camps, I have never regarded dangers^ 
which gave me no fear. But I cannot avoid expe- 
riencing a deep and painful feeling, when I consid- 
er the situation in which -this great nation would 
have been placed, if this plot had been successful ; 
for it IS principally against the glory, the liberty, 
and the destiny of the French people, that the con- 
spiracy was formed. I have long since renounced 
the hope of enjoying the pleasures of private life. 
All my days are employed in fulfilling the dutiea 
which my fate, and the will of the French people, 
have imposed upon me. Heaven will watch over 
France, and defeat the plots of the wicked. The 
citizens may be without alarm. My life will last 
as long as it will be useful for the nation ; but I wish 
the French people to understand, that existence, 
without their confidence and affection, v*^ould be 
for me without consolation, and for them have na 
object." 

Connected with this conspiracy was the case oi 
Captain Wright, who died in the prison of th 
Temple, to which Fichegru had also been commit- 
ted : both these officers were for some time sup- 
jK>sed to have been assascinated privately. Cap- 
tain Wright, who was cruising in a conette in th«« 



r804.] NAPOLEON RONAPARrE. 181 

Bay of Qjiberon, was becalmed, and taken by the 
French gim-boats. He had previously been fei- 
low -prisoner witli Sir Sidney Smitii, and had served 
with ".lim in Egypt and Syria, lie had 'rnfortunate- 
ly b3en accused as the officer who effected the 
landing of Georges, Pichegru, and their compan- 
ions, on the coast of France. He was again con- 
veyed to Paris, and immured in the Temple, where 
he resisted every temptation to disclose the namea 
of the persons by whom he had been employed, 
and by so doing fell a victim to his sense of 
honour and fidelity. 

The account which Napoleon himself gave of the 
perpetrators of this conspiracy, at a period when 
no false colouring could in the least avail him. was 
n,s follows : 

•' In different nights of August, September, and 
December, 1803, and January, 1804, Captain 
Wright landed Georges, Pichegru, Riviere, Coster, 
St. Victor, La Haye, St. Hilaire, and others, at Bo- 
ville. The latter four had been accomplices in the 
affair of the infernal machine, and the others 
were well known as chiefs of the Chouans. Pre - 
tending to be smugglers, they concealed them- 
selves by day in lodgings prepared for them, and 
travelled only in the night. They had plenty of 
money, and were at Paris some time before they 
were discovered, though the police knew from 
Meh^e de la Touche, that a plot was going on : this 
man, though paid as an English spy, informed the 
French police of all he knew. He had several 
conferences with Mr. Drake, the British charge 
d'affaires at Munic h," 

When some of the persons who were lauded bj 
Wright were taken up and examined it appeared 

VOL. I 16 



IS9 MEMOIRS or [1804 

that oae Mussey, who lived at Offenburg along with 
tiie duke d'Enghien, was very active in sending 
money to, and corresponding with, those who had 
jeen secretly landed on the coasts. Querel, a sur- 
geon, confessed he had been brought from England 
in Wright's ship along with Georges and several 
others, and that Georges was then in Paris, planning 
tha assassinat'on of the first consul. 

An emigrant of the name of Bouvet, havmg hung 
himself in a state of despondency, was cut down 
by a gaoler, and, while recovering his senses, burst 
out in incoherent expressions, saying, Moreau had 
brought Pichegru from London ; that he was a trai- 
tor, and had persuaded them all that the army were 
for him. These expressions excited the attention 
of the police : they knew that a brother of Piche- 
gru, who had once been a monk, lived in Paris . 
he was arrested, and acknowledged he had seen 
his orother a day or two before. Moreau was also 
arrested. Pichegru was betrayed by one of his 
old friends, who had what he demanded, a hundred 
thousand fra,ncs. Georges eluded the vigilance of 
the police nearly three weeks, and was then be- 
trayed and taken, after having shot one of his pur- 
suers. All his accomplices were afterwards appre- 
hended. Pichegru boasted of having been employ- 
ed by the Bourbons, but afterwards, finding his case 
desperate, strangled himself in the prison. Geor- 
ges, Coster, and seven or eight more, were execut- 
ed. Moreau was condemned to two years' impris- 
onment, which was commuted into banishment to 
America. 

By the confession of some of ohese conspirators, 
it was discovered that the duke d'finghien was an 
accomplice aad only waiting on the fror'iers ol 



.'804.1 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



18a 



France for the assassination of Bonaparte, when he 
was to have entered France as the king's liruten- 
ant. " Was I," said Bonaparte, " to suffer that the 
count d'Artois should send a parcel of miscreants 
to murder me, and that a prince of his house should 
hover on the borders of the country I governed, to 
profit by my assassination ? According to the laws 
of nature, I was authorized to have him assassinat- 
ed, in retaliation for the numerous attempts caused 
by him to be made upon me. He was seized, 
brought into France, and condemned by a law made 
long before I had any power there. He did not 
deny having borne arms against the republic ; he 
behaved v»?ith great fortitude before the tribunal." 
When he arrived at Strasbourg, he wrote a letter to 
Napoleon, in which he offered to discover every 
thing, if pardon were granted to him ; said that his 
Family had lost their claims for a long time, and con- 
cluded by offering his services to Bonaparte. This 
tetter was delivered to Talleyrand, who concealed 
it till some time after the duke's execution. 

Had the count d'Artois been in the duke's place, 
Bonaparte said he would have suffered the same 
fate ; " and," continued he, " were I noio placed un- 
der similar circumstances, I would act in a similar 
manner." — The police learned by the means of 
Mehee's authority, that the duke d'Enghien waa 
concerned in a plot to terrassei; viz. overthrow, the 
premwr consul, no matter by what means. 

While the duke was on his trial, Madame la 
Marechal Bessieres said to Colonel Ordener. who 
had arretted him, " Are there no possible means to 
save that unhappy man ? Has his guilt been es- 
tablished beyond a doubt .^" — " Madame," replied 
he, " i fo md in his house sacks of papers, sufiicient 






IS4 



MEMOIRS OP 



[1S04 



to coiiijjromise the half of France." Tht duke wa» 
executed in the morning, and not by torch-light, a» 
has been represented. 

After some delay, Moreau was permitted to em- 
bark for the United States of America, where he 
remained till 1813, when the sovereigns of Europe 
duly appreciating his talents, called him from exile 
and gave him a distinguished rank in their militaij- 
councils. 

The seizure of tiie duke d'Enghien, before- 
mentioned, took place at Ettenheim, on the Rhine. 
in the night of the 15th of March, 1804, whec 
Ordener, one of Bonaparte's generals, crossed thai 
river in three divisions. The guards of the elec- 
tor, finding all resistance useless, opened the gates 
of Ettenheim, where the French troops seized the 
duke, and a few old priests and invalids that lived 
with him, and, putting him in irons, repassed the 
river, and conveyed him to France. 

Another report from the French grand judge, is- 
sued soon after, complained that the British minis- 
ter at the court of Munich was engaged in a con- 
spiracy with persons whose object was to overthrow 
the government of France ; that these agents had 
been supplied with large sums of money by the 
British government, which was to be used in gain- 
ing over persons employed in the powder-mills in 
France, and in taking every measure to disorgan- 
ize the armies. 

But neither internal conspiracies nor externaj 
wars appear to have diverted the mind of the first 
consul in the least from prosecuting the schemes of 
his ambition. To secure himself the permanent ex 
ercise of sovereign power, after the chief mag's 
tracy had been conferred on him for ten years,- hfl 



1S04.I 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



186 



seemed to think the title of first consul was toe 
simple to convey an adequa*^-^ idea of the dignified 
elevation ;o which he had been raised. Equally 
ambitious of undivided power and titular splendour, 
he really aspired to the imperial purple. Thus a 
soldier of fortune, who, at the commencement of 
the French revolution, was an obscure individual, 
serving in the army of the republic, was successive- 
ly promoted to the highest rank, and, after obtaining 
the chief authority in the state, was invested with 
the title of emperor of the French. 

The measure of conferring on Bonaparte this 
rank and title, and making them hereditary in his 
family, according to the laws of primogeniture, was 
for the first time agitated in the tribunate in the be- 
ginning of May, when M. Cur^e submitted a prop- 
osition to that effect. M. Carnot strongly opposed 
this measure, which, however, was carried on the 
3d of May, when the tribunate proceeded to vote 
" That Napoleon Bonaparte, the first consul, be 
proclaimed emperor of the French, and in that ca- 
pacity invested with the government of the French 
republic ; that the title of emperor, and the impe- 
rial power, be made hereditary in his family, in the 
male line, according to the order of primogeniture ; 
that, in introducing into the organization of the 
constituted authorities the modifications rendered 
necessary by the establishment of hereditary powei 
the equality, the liberty, and the rights of the i peo- 
ple, shall be preserved in all their integrity." 

This decree, being put to the vote, was carried 
by acclamation, with the single exception of the 
rote of one member, who spoke against its adop- 
ifjon. 

On the 18th of May the senate, in an address 
16* 



186 



ME1»»^ RS OF 



[1804 



presented to the f rst consul, entreated him to coii 
sent, that, for the glory and happiness of the re 
public, he might be immediately proclaimed emper 
or of the French. 

After Napoleon had given his consent, the sen- 
ate was admitted to an audience of her majesty the 
empress, when the consul Cambaceres addressed 
her on the. part of that body. The organic senates 
was then proclaimed by the emperor. His imperi 
al majes'iy nominated to the dignity of grand elec- 
tor. Prince Joseph Bonaparte ; to that of constable 
Prince Louis Bonaparte ; to that of arch-chancel- 
lor of the empire, the consul Le Brun. The arch- 
chancellor, the arch-treasurer, the constable, the 
ministers, the secretary of state, and General Du- 
roc, governor of the imperial palace, took their 
oaths before the emperor. On the 20th of May 
the emperor decreed the following generals to be 
marshals of the empire : — Berthier, Murat, Mon- 
cey, Jourdan, Massena, Augereau, Bernadotte, Soult 
Brune, Lasnes, Mortier, Ney, Davoust, and Bes- 
sieres. The title of marshal was also given to the 
senators Kellerman, Lefebvre, Perignon, and Ser- 
rurier. 

The question, whetlier the throne should, or 
should not, be hereditary, was submitted to the peo- 
ple, who, as might have been expected, decided in 
the affirmative by an immense majority. 

About this time Louis XVIH. issued a protest 
against Bonaparte's assumption to the imperial title, 
as well as against all the subsequent acts to which 
it might give birth. This protest was dated War 
saw. 

On the 9th of July, Bonaparte issued an imperi 
%1 dec reo, directing that the oath should be taken 



1804.1 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



lb'. 



and the coronation ceremonies perfori.ied in the 
Champ de Mars on the 18th Brumaire, or 9th oi 
November, tne day on which the power of the Di 
rectory had been subverted by Bonaparte, and the 
consular power established on its ruins. 

In order to heighten the solemnity of the occa- 
sion, the pope was sent for, and left the Vatican on 
the 3d of November, accompanied by four cardi- 
nals, two archbishops, and a numerous suite. The 
journey of the sovereign pontiff was distinguished 
by the homage paid him by the faithful in Italy and 
France, as head of the church. Having arrived at 
Fontainebleau on the 25th of November, he was 
met by Napoleon at a place called la Croix de St 
Heretis, and arrived on the 29th of November at 
the Tuilleries, where apartments had been prepar- 
ed for him, escorted by a strong guard of French 
troops, and two hundred and fifty hussars, who were 
ordered to meet him on the frontiers of the French 
territory. 

Circumstances arose, which made it necessar} to 
defer the ceremony of the coronation till the 2d of 
December. Early on the morning of the preced 
ing day, the senate went in a body to the Tuiller- 
ies, where they were presented by Joseph Bona 
parte. The president, Neufchateau, made a com 
plimentary speech, to which the emperor replied, — 
" I ascend the throne, to which the unanimous wish- 
es of the senate, the people, and the army, have 
called me, with a heart penetrated with the great 
destmies of that people, whom from the midst of 
camps I first saluted with the name of great. From 
my youth my thoughts have been solely fixed on 
them; and I must here add, that my pleasures and 
\ny pains are derived entirely from the happiness oi 



188 MEMOIRS OF ,U801 



misery of my people. My desceudants shall long 
preserve this throne. In the camps "they will be 
the first soldiers of the army, sat rificing their lives 
for the defence of their country. As magistrates, 
they will never forget, that contempt of the laws, 
and confusion of social order, are the results onlj 
of the imbecility and indecision of princes. You 
senators, whose counsel and support have never fail- 
ed me in the most difficult circumstances, your spir- 
it will be handed down to your successors. Be 
ever the support and first counsellors of that throne 
so necessary to the welfare of this vast empire." 

The weather on the 2d of December was ex- 
tremely unfavourable ; snow had fallen on the pre- 
ceding evening, but on the following morning the 
sun rose extremely bright. 

In the midst of an immense concourse of spec- 
tators, and of a procession of the most imposing 
appearance, the pope, Napoleon, and Josephine his 
spouse, attended the church of Notre Dame, where 
Pius VII. officiated with all the pomp of the Ro- 
man church. The new emperor had presented to 
the cathedral the sacred vases of vermilion enrich- 
ed v.'ith diamonds, and magnificently ornamented, 
a^d generally with every thing necessary for the 
celebration of the coronation, which was accord 
ingly performed on Sunday the 2d of December, 
1804. The military deputations assembled at six 
in the morning, and proceeded to the church of No 
tre Dame by seven. The deputations, from the dif- 
ferent tribunals of justice, and the functionaries 
uivited by the emperor, met at the palace of Justice 
by seven, and walked to the church, where they, 
arrived before eight. They were succeeded by the 
eeuase, the council of state, the legislative body 



1S04.| NAJ'^OLEDN ttvlNAPARTK. IS^ 

«.ad the tribunate, each escorted by a corps of cav 
airy. The diplomatic corps had a place assignee 
Uiem in the church. The pope left tlie Tuilleriea 
at nine o'clock, and at ten the departure of the em 
oeror from tho pali.ce v/as announced by a discharge 
of artillery, ilere we may remark, that never be- 
fore had a pope been obliged to leave his own do- 
minions for tne purpose of crowning either emper 
or or king. It was reserved for the aspiring Na- 
poleon thus to surpass all other crowned heads, in 
exacting obedience from the nominal head of the 
church, to whom all other monarchs had been in 
the constant habit of doing homage. 

The pope and the emperor repaired to the archi 
episcopal pai9.ce, where his holiness pronounced the 
usual prayers, while the emperor put on the impe- 
rial robes. They afterwards went in splendid pro 
cession to the church of Notre Dame. The coro- 
nation ornaments of Charlemagne were borne before 
Bonaparte ; and he was preceded by Marshal Serru- 
rier, carrying the ring of the empress upon a cushion, 
and, Marshal Moncey, with a basket to receive the 
empress's mantle. The empress, with the imperial 
mantle, was supported by the princesses. Marshal 
Kellerman carried the crown of Charlemagne ; 
Marshal Perignon his sceptre ; General Beauhar- 
nois his majesty's ring ; Marshal Berthier the hn- 
perial globe ; and the grand chamberlain the bas- 
ket to receive the emperor's mantle. Bonaparte 
then entered the church of Notre Dame. 

The imperial throne and the altar were equi- 
distant froTi the centre of the church. Upon the 
throne was seated the emperor in his ornaments • 
the empress, on his right hand, was seated a step 
ovi er. in an arm chair. Two steps lower than the 



m 



MEMOIRS OF 



rist>4 



tuijieror, on tbe lefl, were seated the two princes^ 
with the two dignitaries of the empire at thviir left 
hand. The throne on which the pope was seated, 
was raised near the altar. At the moment their 
majesties entered the porch, the pope descended 
'^'rom his throne, and, advancing to the altar, sang 
Feni Creator. The emperor and the empress then 
said priyers upon their cushions, and were imme- 
diately divested of their imperial ornaments. The 
grand elector took off the crown from his majesty's 
head ; the arch-chancellor took from him the hand 
of justice ; other grand officers stripped him of the 
imperial mantle, while he himself drew his sword, 
and delivered it to the constable of the empire. In 
the mean time the empress's attendants took from 
her the imperial mantle and ornaments, which, with 
all the other iosignia, were placed upon the altar, 
for the purpose of being consecrated by the pope. 

Then followed the cerenAony of inauguration. 
The grand almoner of France, with the first of the 
French cardinals and archbishops, conducted their 
imperial majesties from the throne to the foot of 
the altar, there to receive the sacred unction. His 
holiness bestowed a triple unction both on the 
emperor and empress ; one on the head, the othei 
two on the hands. They were then re-conducted 
to the throne, when the pope performed the mass 
His holiness then said prayers separately over both 
crowns, the mantles, the sceptres, and the hand of 
justice. The imperial mantles being consecrated, 
the emperor and empress put them oi again, and 
the emperor afterwards placed the crown on the 
head of the empress. An eye-witness to this coro- 
nation asserts, that, imn\ediately after the pope had 
ttiessed the tw o crowns, Napoloon in a loannei 



18U4.1 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE 



191 



enaiched that which was intended for him, placing 
it himself on his t wn head. Napoleon then took 
the other crown, and placed it upon the head of 
Josephine, who remained upon her knees at the foof 
of Lhe altar. After this the pope, preceded by the 
master of the ceremonies, followed the emperor 
from the altar to the throne, where, having pro- 
nounced a prayer, he kissed the emperor on the 
cheek, and cried aloud to the audience, " Vivat im- 
perator in ceternum !" 

When divine service was finished, the emperor 
sitting with the crown upon his head, and his hand 
upon the Gospels, the grand master of the ceremo- 
iies pronounced the oath prescribed, before the 
three presidents of the senate, the legislative corps 
md the tribunate. After this, the principal herald 
at arms cried aloud — " The most glorious and most 
august emperor Napoleon, emperor of the French, 
is crowned and enthroned !" 

At this instant the roof of the church of Notre 
Dame resounded with the repeated cries of " Vive 
fempereur ! Vive Vimperalrice .'" — The pope was 
then re-conducted by his clergy, and the procession 
returned nearly in the same order as it came. 

On the following day the heralds at arms pro- 
ceeded through aiJ the principal streets distributing 
a great quantity of medals of different sizes, intend- 
ed to commemorate the coronation. On one side 
of the medals the emperor was represented, bear- 
ing the crown of the Caesars, with vhis legend, JVa- 
Dohon Empereur ; on the reverse was the inscrip- 
tion, Le Senat et le Peuple, witii an allegorical rep- 
resentation of a figure clothed in the attributes of 
magistracy, and a warrior newly clatlied with the 
imperial attrilutes. 



i92 MEMOIRS OF n^Ui 

The pj'ospecl of peace on the continent was 
8oon overclouded by an energetic note, which had 
been presented to the diet of Ratisbon from the 
emperor of Russia, on the seizure of the duke 
d'Engliien. To this the French minister replied, 
,n a tone of lofty indifference, " that the emperor 
of Germany and the king of Prussia were undoubt- 
edly the two powers most concerned in the fate of 
the German empire ; and the German princes being 
satisfied, Napoleon felt himself in no way responsi- 
ble to the emperor of Russia, on a point which did 
not concern his interest ; and if it were the inten- 
tion of his majesty to recommence the war, what 
need was there of empty pretences, and why did he 
not act openly ?" 

The departure of General Hedouville from Pe- 
tersburg, and much angry correspondence, followed 
between the French and Russian ministers at Par- 
is, in which Sweden also became a party against 
France, though fortunately the subsisting relations 
of commerce between France and the north were 
allowed to remain uninterrupted. But towards the 
close of the year 1804, the emperor Alexander 
after his diplomatic correspondence had been closed 
for some time with Bonaparte, entered into very 
active negotiations with the British government, at 
the head of which Mr. Pitt was again placed, with 
a determination to signalize his administration by 
some extraordinarj" effort. 

But while many were in daily expectat'on of be- 
jig again disturbed by the din of arms, Napoleon 
was by nj means unmindful of the arts of peace. 
Some months before his coronation, he had express- 
ed fiis wish of transmitting to posterity a picture 



1804.] 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



:9S 



of the grand ceremony, by a work worthy a* the 
high fame of the artist. 

M. David eagerly embraced the proposah Im- 
mediately the emperor sent for Prince Murat, then 
g-overnor of Paris, and for Count Segur, grand mas- 
ter of the ceremonies, and in tlie presence of hia 
first painter, ordered them to choose the most con- 
venient place for him to see the whole ceremony, 
and to driw it with exactness. 

The place selected was above the chief altar, so 
thac the painter could see perfectly the choir of the 
church in which the coronation was to be perform- 
ed, and in which all the distinguished persons, in- 
tfc ided to be present, were to be assembled. 

.Immediately after the ceremony, M. David, full 
of his subject, went home, and sketched out the 
design of his work. The rough draught was made 
on the proportion of 18 inches by 12. The picture 
is 33 feet long, and 21 high. 

The greatest known picture in J,he world, the 
Nuptials of Cana, by Paul Veronese, is only 33 
feet long, and 18 high. This size renders it diffi- 
cult to find a room large enough for the exhibition 
9f a picture which contains 210 persons, of whom 
near eighty are represented from head to foft*. Ma- 
ny of the likenesses are very striking. 

This work was the result of four years' labour 
On the one hand, the opposition of the Romish 
clergy ; on the other, the emperor's orders, some- 
times very difficult to put in harmony with the 
exac truth ; and also the pretensions of powerful 
uien, who were ail ambitious of the most con- 
spxuous place increased the difficulties of the ex- 
ecution. 

The cardmal Caprara, for instance, who af peara 



VOL. I. 



194 MEMOIRS OP [1804 

''•arelieeded, wishel to have his wig on, such being 
uie custom followed in Romish ceremonials : M 
David was desirous of painting quite bare a head, 
the colour of which promised so beautiful an 
effect. 

In like manner, the emperor had ordered the 
Turkish envoy to be exhibited with all the other 
ambassadors : to this the envoy objected, because 
the law of the Koran forbade his entrance into a 
Christian church. After many negotiations, and a 
great loss of time, he gave his consent, under the 
consideration that the post and character of ambas- 
sador belongs to all religions. 

M. David was often interrupted in his work by 
the foreign artists at Paris, who were daily solicit- 
ing the permission of being admitted into his paint- 
ing room. It was difficult to resist so flattering an 
eagerness. Camucini, the prince of the Roman 
tfchool, and the famous statuary Canova, daily made 
use of that peg;nission. Camucini, at his last visit, 
found the artist surrounded by many of his schol- 
ars, all of them profoundly silent in admiration of 
his composition. On taking leave of M. David, the 
Italian painter bowed to him, with these remarka- 
ble words : Adio, il piu bravo pittore di scholari ben 
bravL 

The picture was finished about the month of 
November, 1807. Previous to its public exposition, 
the emperor appointed a day to see it himself; it 
was on the 4th of January, 1808. Accordingly 
on that day and to honour the artist the more, he 
proceeded in state, attended by a detachment of 
cavalry and military music, accompanied by the 
empress, and the princes and princesses of his 
'amtiy, awd followed by his ministers and th« 



^H.j NAPOLEON CONAPARTfc, 195 

great officers of the crown, to the painting-- rcora 
vvliere M. David was in waiting to receive him. 

In the meantime the passions were at work. 
Severe criticisms had alreac/ reached the emperor 
and his court. The picture (according to some) 
was not the emperor's coronation, but that of the 
empress. Under the impossibility of describing all 
the ceremonies which he had witnessed, (and the 
most interesting part of them being that in which 
the three chief personages of the piece were act- 
ing,) the artist chose for his work the moment in 
which the emperor places the crown on the head of 
his consort : his reason for this preference was, that 
if he had represented Napoleon taking the crown 
from the altar, the pope, and the empress herself, 
would have been only witnesses of an act in itself 
undoubtedly very solemn, but one with which their 
presence had no necessary connexion ; the corona- 
tion of his spouse, on the contrary, supposed that 
that of her imperial husband was* already over. 
The emperor Wi.6 then acting as master and sover- 
eign ; the empress was receiving the insignia ot 
the state conferred on her ; and the pope was per- 
forming the religious functions for which his pres- 
ence had been required. 

This idea, therefore, which at first had been so 
much criticised, was fully approved by the emperor, 
to whom, indeed, the original conception of the art- 
ist had already been submitted. After having ob- 
served, and attentively examined the work, Napo 
leon S3 id : 

" M. David, this is very well, very well indeed ■ 
«ou have guessed my whole thought ; the empress, 
my mother, the emperor, are ail most properly pla- 
eed ; you have made me a French knig] t, ?nd I ai» 



^6 MEMOIRS OP [18G4 

pleased that you have thus transmitted to future 
ages the proofs of affection I wished to give to the 
empress." And, after an instant of silence, his hai 
on, the empress standing on his right hand, M. Da- 
vid on his left, and the picture in front, the emp>.. 
or advanced two steps, and, facing the author, pull • 
ed off his hat, and, bowing profoundly, " M. David," 
said he, raising his voice, " I salute you." 

" Sire," answered the painter, " I receive the com- 
pliment of the emperor in the name of all the art- 
ists of his empire ; happy myself in being the one 
whom you deig to make the channel of such an 
honour." 

When, in th^ month of October, 1808, *he pic- 
ture was placed in the museum, the emperor wish- 
ed to see it again. M. David accordingly attend- 
ed him in the hall of the Louvre, surrounded by 
many of his pupils. After conferring the decora- 
tion of the legion of honour on the most distin- 
guished of them, whom, at the emperor's desire, 
Si. David had pointed out to him, " It is fit," saic* 
Napoleon, " that I testify my satisfaction to the 
master of so many distinguished artists ; I promote 
you, therefore, to be officer of the legion of hon- 
our. M. Duroc, give a golden decoration to M 
David." — " Sire, I have none with me." — " No mat- 
ter," replied Napol'eon ; " don't let this day pass 
without executing my order." 

The grand mar^chal, although no friend to M. 
David, was obliged to obey ; and on the same even- 
ing the insignia was sent to the painter. 

Not content with honouring the artist himself 
the emperor was pleased to see his esteem foi 
him shared by all the great persons wiio appeared 
It his court. The king of Wirtemburg, at his 



1804.J NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 197 

suggestion, came to set M. David's w^ork. Oe 
being shown the picture of the coronation, aston- 
ished at the luminous brightness spread over the 
group, in which are placed the pope and Cardinal 
Caprara ; " I did not believe," said the king to the 
painter, " that your art could operate such wonders. 
White and black, in painting, afford but very weak 
resources. When you produced such an effec . 
doubtless you nmst have had a sun-beam upon youj 
pencil." 

Such a compliment discovered a peculiar and 
perfect knowledge of the art. M. David, astonish- 
ed, after many thanks, added, " Sire, your reflec- 
tion, and your way of expressing it, bespeak the 
artist, or the well-informed amateur. Your majes- 
ty has then learned to paint .^" — " Yes," answered 
the king, " I sometimes occupy myself vvith that 
art ; and all my brothers possess a similar taste 
The one who very often calls upon you, has obtain- 
ed some success in it. His performances are not 
at all like royal paintings ; they are worthy of aa 
artist. M. David," added he, " I dare not hope to 
obtain a copy of this picture : but you may indem- 
nify me, by placing my name at the head of the sub- 
scribers to the engraving. Pray, don't forget me." 

In December, news arrived of the refusal of the 
Ottoman Porte to acknowledge Napoleon as em- 
peror, upon which Marshal Brune quitted Constan- 
tinople. 

Among the demonstrations Tnade by Napo]eon in 
1804, those at Boulogne were the most prominent. 
It might have been remarked, that, after he had oc- 
cupied Hanover, he lost no time in exciting the 
ideas of an invasion of England. Ordere wew 
17 * 



198 



MEMOIRS OF 



11804 



sent to repair the old batteries on the French coasts, 
or to establish new ones. Tlie formatic/ of a 
hundred companies of voluo*.eer gunners was or 
dered, and several others of sedentary gardes cotes^ 
comp:;sed as much as possible of mtn who had 
learned the use of artillery during the late war, 
but had retired from the service. The projec* 
of a descent on England was again put forward 
and, in the impatience of the first consul to avenge 
British duplicity, he made an appeal to the Fronch 
nation, and to its patriotism, still more energr-nc 
than that of 1801. The ddenda Carthago became 
w.o favourite expre:?sion of every one who wished 
to pay his court to the chief of the French gov 
ernment. Addresses poured in from all narts of 
France, professing devotion and attachment wiui 
out limits. 

According to the new plan adopted by the first 
consul, he meant to make use of gun and flat-bor 
tomed boats, in his projected descent ; which, be 
ing principally managed with oars, might possibly 
escape the British cruisers, as well as the shot 
of the larger vessels, from the smallness of th*^ir 
size, especially at a time of the year when fogs are 
so frequent in the channel, or when bad weather 
will not permit larger vessels to keep the narrow 
seas. A hundred an ^. -^ixty thousand soldiers 
were to embark on boara these frail barks, to 
land upon the British coast ; and, if this should 
succeed, the conquest of England was calculated 
upon as a certain and infallibl-e consequence. This 
dlusion for a time seemed to have turned all heads 
m France, and every citizen was {billing to con 
tribute something to this romantic undertakm^ 



1 804. 1 NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 199 

In tho midst of these preparations, Bonaparte 
wished to reconnoitre the new theatre, upon which 
he intended ag-ain to put the courage and 
constancy of the French to the proof. He left 
Paris on the 24th June, 1804: after passing 
through Amiens, Abbeville, and Montreuil sur 
Mor, he arrived at Boulogne on the 1st of July ; 
he then visited Borgues, Cassel, Ballieul, Armen- 
tiers, and Lisle, on the 7th of July. Taking his 
course afterwards towards Belgium, he succes- 
sively visited Ypres, Nieuport, Ostend, Bruges., 
Ghent, and Antwerp, in which tour he occupied 
fourteen days. At Antwerp he gave directions 
for forming a grand navigable canal, to commu- 
nicate with the Rhine, the Mouse, and the Scheldt. 
This was his first essay for making Antwerp the 
grand depot of all the commerce of the north of 
Europe, and which was afterwards completed 
The enthusiasm of the Belgians was every where 
excited by Napoleon's, presence, who were then 
more gratified by their re-union with France than 
ever. The inhabitants of Brussels, Louvain, 
Maestricht, Liege, Namur, and Aix-la-Chapelle, 
testified the most unfeigned admiration and respect, 
equal to any he had received in Old France, 
which he again entered at Mezieres, traversing a 
part of Champaigne, through Charleville, Sedan and 
Rheims, and returned to Paris on the 12th of Au- 
gust, after a six weeks' absence from that capital. 
It was during another journey in this part of his 
dominions, that, having experienced the intrepidity 
and bravery of British seamen, Napoleon paid 
them a just tribute, and generously rewardeo 
them fcr the proofs they had given him of theL* 



200 



MEMOIRS OF 



ri804 



superiority. He was at Givet with the empresi 
Marie Louise, and stopped at that plac'3 to rest 
During the night, a violent storm of wind and rair. 
came on, which swelled the Meuse so much, thai 
the bridge of boats over it was carried away 
Napoleon was very anxious to depart, and ordered 
all the boatmen in the place to be assembled, that 
he might be enabled to cross the river. They 
said the waters were so high, that it would be 
impossible to pass before two or three days. He 
questioned some of them, and soon discovered that 
they were fresh water seamen. Napoleon thei.- 
recollected, that there were English prisoners iij 
the barracks, and ordered that some of the oldest 
and best seamen amongst them should be brought 
before him to the banks of the river. The waters 
were very high, and the current rapid and dan- 
gerous. He asked them if they could join a num- 
ber of boats, so that he might pass. They an- 
swered, that it was possible, but hazardous. Na- 
poleon desired them to set about it instantly. 
In the course of a few hours, they succeeded in 
effecting what the other imbecitles had pronounced 
impossible ; and he crossed before the evening was 
over. Napoleon ordered those who had worked at 
it to receive a sum of money each, a suit of clothes, 
cind their liberty. Marchand was with him at the 
time. 

The situation of affairs in England at the end 
of the year 1804, and the alarm that the formida 
ble preparations for a descent upon the soil of 
Great Britain had excited, led Napoleon to suppose 
Uiat George HI. would be more inclinable to peace 
vhan under circumstancss ^ess favourable, and 



1804.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 201 

induced him to take a step which, if crowned with 
success, might have rendered the commencement 
of the year 1805 one of the most remarkable 
epochs of the late reign. That this attempt was 
made by the French emperor, and in a singular 
manner, will appear in the succeeding chapter. 



202 MEMOIRS OP [1800 



CHAPTER XIV. 

(£ttet of Nxpolem to George tJte IViird — The Emperor Akxan 
dei concludes a Treaty with Great Britain — Tlie new Kingdom 
of Italy — Bonaparte's Visit to Milan, and Coronation — Genoa 
annexed to France — Piombino and Lucca given to the Emperor's 
Sister — Austria joins tlve Coalition against France — Boulognt 
again visited by 'Bonaparte — Flotilla dismantled, and the Army 
withdrawn from (he Coast — Bonaparte leaves Paris, and ar- 
rives at Strasboiirg — Movements of the French Armies — Offi,- 
cial Bulktiiis — Surrender of Ulm — Napoleon at Munich— 
Brannau — The Emperor of Germany — Affairs of Amstetten, 
Manenzell — Vienna evacuated by the Austrians — Battle of 
Uiernstein — French Troops pass through Vienna — The En. 
peror Napoleon's Residence in tlie Podace of Schoenhri inn- 
Affairs of Hollebrun and Schoen Grabem — Battle of Tuniers- 
dor}"— Head Qmiiers ui Znaim — A Ruse de Guerre — Prince 
DolgeruckVs Interview with Napoieoiir— Order of tlie Day 
before that of the Battle of Anste-lUz — Devotion of the Sol- 
diers — Account of tlie Battle — Bulletins written by Bonaparte— 
Irderview between him and the Emperor of Germany — Retreai 
of tlie Russian Army — The Love of Liberty effaced by a Pas- 
sim for military Glory-— The Campaign of 1805 in Itahj— 
Treaty of Presburg — The Electors of Bavaria and Wirtem- 
burg declared Kings. 

The measure adopted by Bonaparte, as a conse- 
quence of his elevation to the imperial dignity, 
was to transmit new overtures to the British 
government, in the form of a letter written by his 
own hand, and addressed to his Britannic majesty 
This letter was couched in the following terms : 

" SIR, AND BROTHER, 

« Called to the throne of France by Providence 
and by the suffrages of the senate, the people, anc 
the army, my first sentiment is a wish for peace 
France and England abuse their prosperity 



I 305. J NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 203 

riiey may contend for ages ; but do their govern 
nients welJ fulfil the most sacred of their duties 
and will not so much blood shed uselessly, am 
without a view to any end, condemn them in theii 
own consciences ? I consider it no disgrace tc 
make the first step. I, have, I hope, sufficiently 
proved to the world, that I fear none of the 
chances of war ; it, besides, presents nothing that 
I need to fear ; peace is the wish of my heart, but 
war has never been inconsistent with my glory. 1 
conjure your majesty not to deny yourself the hap- 
piness of giving peace to the world, nor to le9,ve 
that sweet satisfaction to your children ; for cer 
tainly there never was a more fortunate opportu- 
nity, nor a moment more favourable to silence all 
the passions, and listen only to the sentiments of 
humanity and reason.. The moment once lost, 
what end can be assigned to a war, which all my 
efforts will not be able to terminate ? Your majesty 
has gained more in ten years, both in territory and 
riches, than the /vhole extent of Europe. Your 
nation is at iha highest point of prosperity. What 
Can it hope from war? — To form a coalition witl 
some powers of the continent ? The continent 
will remain tranquil : a coalition can only increase 
the preponderance and continental greatness of 
France. — To renew intestine troubles ? The times 
are no longer the same. — To destroy our finances ? 
Finances founded on a flourishing agriculture can 
aever be destroyed.— To take from France her 
colonies ? The colonies are to France only a sec- 
ondary object ; and does not your majesty already 
possess more than you know how to preserve ? — If 
you^ majesty would but reflect, you must perceive 
Uiat the war is without an object, without anj 



'J i MEMOIRS OF 1180^ 

presaii/able result to yourself. Alas ! wnat a mel- 
ancholy prospect,- -to fight merely for the sake 
of fighting ! The world is sufficiently large for 
our two nations to live in it, and reason is suffi ' 
3iently powerful to discover the means of reconcil- 
ing every thing, when the wish for reconciliation 
exists on both sides. I have, however, fulfilled a 
sacred duty, and one which is precious to my heart. 
I trust your majesty will believe the sincerity of 
my sentiments, and my wish to give you every 
proof of it, &c. 

(Signed) " Napoleon.'' 

As it was not customary for an English sovereign 
to communicate directly with a foreign potentate, 
an answer was returned by Lord Mulgrave, ad- 
dressed to the French minister. The secretary of 
state for foreign affairs intimated his majesty's 
wish to procure the blessings of peac-e on terms 
compatible with the permanent security of Europe ; 
but stated the impracticability of more fully 
meeting the overture now made, until communica- 
tions had been held with the powers of the con- 
tinent, with whom his majesty was engaged in 
confidential connexions and relations, particularly 
the emperor of Russia. 

The transmission of Napoleon's letter to the 
King of England was not known at Paris till the 
4th of February ; it had been kept a secret between 
the emperor and his minister, Talleyrand ; but the 
continued silence of the British ministry on the 
subject having induced the opinion, that the ques- 
tion, not being agreeable, would bo decided in the 
British councils in the negative, Napoleon ordered 
Di(? minister of foreign affairs to lay a copy of thf 



(S06A 



NAPOLEON BONAPAKTE. 



20^ 



dng's answer to it before the throe chambers of 
the legislat'ire, together with the evasive cominu 
uication of Lord Melville on th^ same subject. 

The object which Napoleon had in view, in com- 
municating his correspondence with the king of 
Great Britain to his chamber, was to prove to the 
people, that he had not neglected any means to 
get rid of the scr'irge of war. Consequently, his 
generosity, his greatness of mind, and moderation, 
were exalted to the skies, and the responsibility of 
the continuation of hostilities charged upon Eng- 
land. 

In May, 1805, the storm, that had again beei. 
raised against France, began to overspread the 
political horizon. On tlie 11th of April, Russia 
concluded a treaty with Great Britain, by virtue 
of which, in consideration of a subsidy, she was 
to put on foot an army of a hundred and eighty 
thousand men, and to form a coalition, with the 
view of rescuing Hanover from France, withdraw- 
ing the influence of that power from Switzerland 
and Holland, and for giving what they called a 
frontier to Austria ; to effect the evacuation of the 
kingdom of Naples by the French, and to re- 
place the king of Sardinia upon the throne of 
Piedmont. 

Though Austria had officially complimented 
INJapoleon upon his new dignity, this power did 
not seem to entertain more favourable dispositions 
trr.var'^.s France than its declared enemies ; but 
willingly lent an ear to agents sent to draw her 
into the new league then in agitation. Great ac 
tivity was soon ooserved in the aulic council ot 
war at Vienna, followed by a contmual n^.ovemer.l 
&f troops in the empire ; and under the pr^te." 

VOL. I IS 



£{)6 MEMOIRS OF [1805 

j>i establisliing a cordon to check the progress of 
an epidemic disease that raged at Leghorn^ an 
Austrian army was assembled upon the Adige. 

It was impossible that Napoleon could be duped 
by the pacific assurances that he received, in an 
swer to his representations on this subject, from 
the court of Vienna ; the English papers too 
clearly explained the real object of that power. 
Napoleon, however, meant to wait the course of 
events, and leave to the emperor of Austria the 
odium of having first broken the peace. 

In the mean while, Napoleon's principal atten- 
tion was drawn towards Italy, naturally suspecting 
the first hostilities would break out upon the Adige. 
The French troops in Italy had orders to keep on 
the qui vive ; whilst, to encourage the Italians who 
had shaken off the Austrian yoke. Napoleon no 
longer indulged the least hesitation in putting 
upon his head the iron crown of the kings of 
the Lombards. In reality, as Napoleon had es- 
tablished royalty in France, he could not think of 
suffering a republic to subsist in the north of Italy ; 
and as, during his consulship, he had prepared 
the French for an imperial regimen, he had also 
brought tlie Italian republic into such a state, that 
it was impossible to preserve its independence. 
From its first existence, this republic had been 
led by him, as it were, in leading strings ; but 
from the moment he was declared emperor of 
France, a change in the Italian constitution wag t€ 
be expected. 

In order to be more sure of the assent of hia 
new subjects, he used the same means as he had 
adopted in the year 1802. He summoned the 
Italian consulta to meet him at Paris, for the pro 



,805.] 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



201 



fessed purpose cf adding those modifications and 
changes that times and circumstances had rendered 
necesstry. 

On the 17th of March, M. de Melzi, vice-pros 
ident of tlie Italian republic, arrived at Paris it 
the head of a deputation from the Cisalpine repub- 
lic, to express their cordial acquiescence in a 
monarchical and hereditary government ; and also 
their wishes, that Napoleon, being proclaimed 
king of Italy, v^^ouid not suffer a year to elapse 
before he came to be crowned at Milan. 

It was stipulated, that the throne of Italy should 
be hereditary in the male line, both natural and 
adopted ; but that the rigiit of adoption should not 
extend to any other person than a citizen of the 
French empire, or of the kingdom of Italy ; that 
the crown of Italy should not be united to that of 
France, except upon the head of the present era 
peror. 

Napoleon, on the first of April, visited the 
southern departments of France, passed through 
Piedmont, which had been united to France in 
1802, and made his entry into Milan, the capital 
of his new kingdom of Italy, on the 8th of May. 
The fears which the people so lately entertained 
of the Austrians were so great, that Napoleon 
was received like a guardian angel. 

The ceremony of the coronation, and tlie 
anointing of Napoleon and Josephine, as king 
and queen of Italy, took place in the cathedral 
of Milan, much in the same manner, and with 
the same ceremonies, as that at Paris. 

The constitutional act was published on the 7th 
of June, founded upon bases nearly similar to 
those of the French empire. On the same day 



ii)8 



MKMOIRS OF 



fl8{.6 



Sittings 



of the legislative 
as governor of the king- 
the prince Eugene 
adopted son, who immediately 
fidelity prescribed by tie con- 



Napoleon opened the 
3orps, and nomi/iated 
dom, during his absence, 
Beauharnois, his 
took the oath of 
stitutional act. 

The next place fixed upon for a union Wi(h 
France was the city of Genoa. It was, how- 
ever, determined to make the annexation of 
this place and its dependencies appear to result 
from the proposal of the senate and people of 
Genoa ; and tlie senate, after due deliberation, 
resolved that an address should be presented to 
the French emperor, praying that he would 
allow the republic of Genoa to be permanently 
united to the French empire. 

This address was signed by great numbers of 
ihe inhabitants, besides the senate ; and it was 
)rdered that an embassy, consisting of the doge, 
and the deputies of the senate and people, should 
proceed to Milan, for the purpose of laying this 
document at the feet of the emperor. Upon their 
arrival, the emperor listened to them with atten- 
tion, and afterwards addressed the doge upon the 
necessity of this union ; promising them, tJiat he 
should realize their expectations, in uniting them 
to his great people. Napoleon nominated Lebrun, 
arch-treasurer of the empire, governor of the new 
departments formed out of the Ligurian territory. 

Piombino, a little principality in the kingdom of 
Etrnria, had already been given by the emperor of 
the French to his sister Eliza, the spouse of a Cor- 
sican officer named Bacciocchi, and who was on 
this occasion created a pnnce. During his stay ii 
[taly, Na pole m joined the territory of the republic 



1805.] 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



2 S 



dt Liucca to that of Piombino, w. tliout altering thft 
aristocratical forms by which this little country ',ad 
been governed for many ages. After having 
made these arrangements, he returned to Paris, 
where matters of much higher import claimed hi? 
presence. 

About the time that the emperor Alexander ha^i 
signed the new treaty with the English go^ern- 
ment, he sent a plenipotentiary to Berlin, and 
another to Vienna, to support the interest of Eng- 
land, and induce Austria to enter into the third 
coalition against France v/ithout delay. The chief 
of the French government was represented as 
crowned with the diadem of Charlemagne, and at 
the head of a num^erous army ready to require, by 
force of arms, the faith and homage of all the liege 
sovereigns of Europe. This consideration, joined 
to the offer of subsidies on the part of England, 
fixed the resolution of the emperor Francis ; and, 
whilst the ambassador from the court of Vienna at 
Paris declared officially to Napoleon, that his 
master entertained the most pacific intentions, and 
cordially wished for the renewal of negotiations 
tending to re-establish a maritime peace, the am- 
bassador from the same court at St. Petersburg 
acceded, in the name of his sovereign, to the coa- 
lition formed between England, Sweden, and Rus- 
sia, to attack France. 

Though Napoleon was by no means the dupe of 
this diplomatic conduct, and similar representations 
that followed, he still thought he had time enough 
left to renew the alarms that had been excited in 
England by his preparations at Boulogne. The 
season of the year most favourable for such iiij 
itt'»mpt was approaching ; all the vesaeis 'ver-; 
IS* 



ill MEMOIRS OF I 1505 

collected, and both soldiers and sailors w^ra 
anxious to be conducted towards the British shore. 
Resolving upon another visit to the ccast^ Napoleor 
left Paris on the 2d of August, 1805, for the camp 
of Boulogne, v^dier<^ his appearance produced all 
the eiFect he had anticipated. The Britisli minis 
try, alarmed more than ever at the state of tlie 
public feeling at home, ordered their agents at the 
court of Vienna to signify to the Austrian govern- 
ment, that it was necessary they should commence 
immediate hostilities against the French, or give 
up the expectation of receiving the promised sub- 
sidies. It was in vain that the emperor's ministers 
represented that their master was not yet ready ; 
chat it was necessary to await the arrival of the 
Russians, and their junction with the Austrian 
irmies. England persisted in her demands, and the 
amperor was forced to accede to a precipitate 
opening of the campaign. 

But whilst these transactions were passing in 
Germany, Napoleon was by no means inactive. 
Accordingly, whilst he was last at Boulogne, he 
seemed suddenly to have altered his plans : he 
issued orders to dismantle the flotilla in that har- 
bour, and directed the troops to march from the 
coast to the banks of the Rhine. Similar orders 
vvcre at the same time transmitted to General 
Marmont in Holland; and Marshal Bernadotte w^s 
also, directed to proceed with his force from Han 
Dver towards Franconia. A rupture having n<m 
become uns voidable, the elector of Bavaria, ot 
Hhom strong suspicions were entertained by the 
allied powers, was called upon by Austria to incor- 
porate his troops with the Austrian army, whicl 
not be'ng agreed to, the latter in full for(^e pasbor 



1805.] 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE 



2ii 



the Inn, in September, and treated the elector'a 
territory as a conquered cor.rtry. Tiie elector waa 
obliged to take refuge at Wurtzburg.' 

Intelligence having been received at Paris of 
these proceedings, the senate was convened, and, 
in a speech from the throne, the emperor informed 
them, that he was about to place himself at the 
head of his army, in order to afford immediate re- 
lief to his allies, and to defend the dearest interests 
of his people. The war had, he informed them, 
already commenced, by the invasion of Bavaria, 
and the elector had actually been driven from his 
territories. On this occasion two decrees were 
passed, — the one for the immediate levy of eighty 
thousand conscripts, and the other for re-organizing 
and imbodying the national guard. The emperor 
appointed Joseph Bonaparte to superintend the 
government in his absence. 

Napoleon quitted St, Cloud on the 24th of Sep- 
tember, and arrived at Strasbourg on the 27th. 
where he awaited the arrival and concentration 
of the troops which v^ere to form the grand army 
that he intended to conduct into Germany. 

When the emperor Napoleon arrived at Stras- 
bourg, the greatest part of the French army, which 
had proceeded by rapid marches from the coast, 
passed the Rhine at Manheim, Spires, and Durlach, 
under the Marshals Davoust, Soult, and Ney. 
Marshal Lasnes, with his division, and the reserve 
of cavalry under Prince Murat, had crossed on the 
preceding day at Kehl. The French army of 
Hanover, of about twenty thousand men, under 
Bernadotle, having marched by Gottingen and 
Frankfort, had arrived at the head-quarters of tho 
<ilec!;or of Bavaria at Wurtzburg Here Ber 



212 MEMOIRS OF [1805 

!iafl()tle was soon after joined by Genftral Marn.ont, 
and the Gallo-Batavian army, which had crossed 
ths Rhine at Mentz, and, by this unian, the force 
collected at Wurtzburg amounted to upwards of 
sixty thousand men. 

Bonaparte's plan for opening the German cam- 
paign was of a masterly character. In order to 
avoid the inconveniences of passing through the 
Black Forest, he resolved to advance along ilie 
iiorthern bank of the Danube, and, passing that 
river below the position of the Austrians, place 
himself between them and the Russians. As it 
was necessary that this project should be executed 
with the utmost secrecy and rapidity. Prince Murat 
was ordered to manoeuvre near the passes of the 
Black Forest, to induce the Austrians to believe 
the French meant to force a passage in that direc- 
tion. General Mack fell into this snare, and 
advanced with the greater part of his army to 
oppose Murat. At length he discovered his error, 
and was suddenly compelled to change all bis 
nlans. In the mean while the French had 
traversed the electorate of Wirtenibiirg and the 
plains of Nordlingen with the greatest rapidity ; 
and, on the 16th of October, Marshal Soult arrived 
at the head of his division on the Danube at Dona- 
werth, and obtained possession of the bridge at 
RTunster. Marmont, having unexpectedly pen- 
etrated through the Prussian territory of Anspacli^ 
eoon after arrived with Bernadotte and his division 
at Ingoldstadt. From this moment the issue of 
the campaign appeared to be decided. The 
Austrians under General Mack did not exceed 
eighty thousand men, while a French force nearl;v 
^louble thaf number was pasted in his rear, and few 



1805.] NAPOLEON BONA'^ARTE. 21S 

Eommunic ations with the Aiiatrian states nearly 
cut off. 

The official bulletins of this campaign of a fev, 
days have so much brevity and force about theni, 
that it would be difficult for other words to convr>\ 
superior or adequate ideas of the rapid and bril 
liant succession of the events they relate. 

. The first of these, after enumerating the difierem 
corps that had passed the Rhine, mentions Prince 
Murat remaining for several days in position before 
the defiles of the Black Forest. His patroles 
which often showed themselves to the enemy's 
patroles, induced them to believe that it was oui 
intention to penetrate by these defiles. The great 
park of artillery passed the Rhine at Kehl on tht; 
30th of September, and advanced towards Heilbronn. 
The emperor passed the Rhine on the 1st ot Octo- 
Der at Kehl, slept at Ettlingen the same evening, 
and received there the elector and princess of 
Baden, and went to Louisburgh, to the elector of 
Wirtemburg, in whose palace he took up his abode 

On the 6th of October, the second division of 
General Soult's corps of the army, under the com^ 
mand of General Vandamme, stopped only two 
hoars at Nordlingen, and, continuing its march, 
irrived at eight in the evening at Donawerth, and 
took possession of the bridge, which was defended 
by the regiment of Colloredo. Some men were 
killed, and some were made prisoners. 

On the 8th, at day-break, Prince Murat, at the 
head of Beaumont's and Klein's divisions of dra- 
goons, and the division of carabmiers and cuirnn- 
Biers commanded by General Nansouty, marched 
to cut ofl' tl e route from Uhn to Augsburg. Oe 
his arrival at Wertingen, he perceived a consideia 



214 MEMOIRS OF [1805 

bie division of the enemy's infantiy, supported bj 
Four squadrons of Albert's cuirassiers. He imme- 
diately surrounded the whole of this corps. Mar- 
shal Lannes, who was marching in the rear of 
these divisions of cavalry, arrived with the division 
of Oudinot, and, after an engagement of two hours 
the whole division, standards, cannon, baggage 
officers, and soldiers, was taken. There were 
there twelve battalions of grenadiers, who had 
marched in great haste from the Tyrol to the 
assistance of the army of Bavaria. 

In fine, the army under Marshal Bernad^te, 
together with the Bavarian army, commanded by 
Generals Duroc and Verden, took their position at 
Ingoldstadt. The imperial guard, commanded by 
General Bessieres, proceeded to Augsburg ; as 
likewise the division of cuirassiers under the com- 
mand of General Hautpoult. 

Prince Murat, with the divisions of Klein and 
Beaumont, and the division of carabiniers and cui- 
rassiers under General Nansouty, hastened with all 
speed to the village of Zumershausen, in order to 
intercept the road from Ulm to Augsburg. 

Marshal Lannes, with the grenadier divisioD « f 
Oudinot and the division of Sucbet, took post 'J'e 
same day in the village of Zumersha jsen. 

All the cannon, colours, and almost all tJie 
officers of the enemy's army, who fought at Wcr- 
tingen, were taken ; a great number were killed . 

Slarshal Ney on his side, with the divisions of 
Malher, Dupont, and Loison, the division of dra- 
goons of General Barraguay d'Hilliers, and thu 
division of Gazan, ascended the Danube, and at 
Jacked the enemy in their position at Grumberg. 



iy05.J NAPOLEON Boi\APAUTE. 2H 

The rains did not retard the forced inarches of 
the grand army. The emperor set the example 
and was on horseback night and day ; he was con- 
tinually in the midst of the troops, and in every 
point where his presence was necessary. On the 
9th of October, he rode fourteen leagues in dread- 
ful weather. He slept in a small village, without 
servants, and without any kind of baggage. 

The combat at Wertingen was followed, in 
twenty-four hours, by an action at Gunsburgh 
Marshal Ney had caused his corps to advance— 
the division of Loison towards Langenau, and the 
division of Malher to Gunsburgh. The enemy, 
who endeavoured to oppose their march, were every- 
where defeated. 

It was in vain that Prince Ferdinand hastened 
in person to defend Gunsburgh ; General Malher 
attacked him with the 59th regiment. The battle 
was most obstinate — they fought man to man. 
Colonel La Cuee was killed at the head of his 
regiment, which, notwithstanding the most obsti- 
nate resistance, carried the bridge by main force : 
the cannon which defended it were taken, and the 
fine position of Gunsburgh remained in our posses- 
sion. 

Impe)-icd Head- ialiiarters of Augsburg, 18 Vendemaire. 
The tattles of Albeck, Elchingen, and the cap- 
ture of Ulm and Memmingen, followed the actions 
at Wertingen and Gunsburgh. Marshal Soult 
arrived on the 13th before Memmingen, immediate- 
ly surrounded the town, and, after some negotia- 
tion, the c^immandant capitulated. Nine battalions 
were taken prisoners : a major-general, many 
superior ofnceia, luu pieces of camion, and a pryo* 



216 WEMOJRS OP [1805 

deal of baggage and ammunition of every kind^ 
was the result of this affair. At the same time^ 
Marshal Soult marched for Ochsenhausen, foi 
the purpose of reaching Biherach, and cutting 
off" the only retreat which lay open to the arch- 
duke Ferdinand. On the 19th, the enemy made a 
sortie from Ulm, and attacked the division of 
Dupont. This battle was a most obstinate one. 
Surrounded by twenty-five thousand men, these 
six thousand brave fellows opposed them on ah 
sides, and took fifteen hundred prisoners. On 
the 13th, the emperor went to the camp before 
Ulm, and ordered the army of the enemy to be 
invested. On the 14th, at day-break, Marshal Ney 
passed the bridge at the head of Loison's division. 
The enemy opposed his taking possession of El- 
chingen with sixteen thousand men : they were 
every where overthrown, lost three thousand men, 
who were taken prisoners, and were pursued to 
their intrenchments. On the 14th, General Mar 
mont occupied all the communications of the 
enemy on the Iller. On the 15th, at day-break, 
♦;he emperor himself appeared before Ulm. The 
■:orps of Prince Murat, and those of Marshals 
Lasnes and Ney, ranged themselves in order of 
Nattle, to force the intrenchments of the enemy 
The day was dreadful : the troops were up to 
their knees in mud. The emperor had not taken 
off" his boots for eight days. The Austrian prince 
Ferdinand had marched off* in the night towards 
Biberach, leaving twelve battalions in the town 
and upon the heights of Ulm, which were all taken 
Marshal Soult took possession of Biberach on the 
15th. Prince Murat set out in pursuit of the 
Enemy, who were in a dreadful state if disso-uticD 



1805. j. NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 217 

Out of an army of eighty thousand men, only 
twenty-five thousand remained. Immediately aftei 
his arrival at Munich, Marshal Bernadotte pursued 
the army of General Kienmeyer, and tcok some 
wagons and prisoners from him. 

The Austrian army was one of the finest that 
Austria ever had : it consisted of fourteen re 
giments of infantry of the army of Bavaria, as it 
was called, thirteen regiments from the Tyrol, and 
five regiments which had been sent in wagon? 
from Italy, — altogether thirty-two regiments of in- 
fantry, and fifteen regiments of cavalry. The 
emperor had placed the army of Prince Ferdinand 
in the same situation in which he had placed that 
of Melas. After having long hesitated, Melas 
adopted the noble resolution of piercing through 
the French army, which occasioned the battle of 
Marengo. Mack took another resolution : Ulm is 
the point of union of a great number of roads : 
he had formed the plan of making his divisions 
retreat by these roads, to re-assemble them in 
Bohemia and the Tyrol. The divisions of Hohen- 
zollern and Werneck marched off" by Heydenheim„ 
A small division retreated by Memmingen, but the 
emperor on the 12th hastened from Augsburg to 
Ulm, immediately disconcerted the projects of the 
enemy, and ordered the bridge and position of 
EL^hingen to be carried, which rendered every 
thmg secure. Marshal Soult, after having taken 
Memmingen, went in pursuit of the other columns 
Prince Ferdinand had therefore no other resource 
than to suffer himself to be shut up in Ulm, or to 
endeavour by cross-roads to join the division of 
Hohenzollern : this prince adopted the latter leso- 
'ution, and proceeded to Aalen. In the mean tin/^ 

VOL. I. 19 



218 MEMOIRS OF [18od 

Prince Murat was in pursuit. While he made a 
movement on his right to Heydenl.eim, Marsha. 
Lannes marched towards Aalen and Nordlingen. 
The progress of the enemy was retarded by fivff 
hundred wagons, and they were weakened by tlie 
battle of Langenau. The action did not retard 
the march of Prince Murat. He advanced rapidly 
towards Neresheim, and on the 17th, at five in the 
evening, he arrived before that position. The 
division of dragoons of General Klein charged the 
enemy. Two standards, a general officer, and 
one thousand men, were again taken at the battle 
of Neresheim. Prince Ferdinand, and seven of 
his generals, had barel} time to get on horseback 
Their dinner was found on table. For two days 
they had no place of rest. 

On the night of the 16th there was a terrible 
hurricane ; the Danube completely overflowed, 
and carried away almost all the bridges, which 
certainly afforded the Austrian army an opportunity 
of forcing their way through the French posts ; 
but this favourable circumstance was not improved. 
On the 15th, Marshal Bernadotte, having pushed 
his advanced posts as far as Wasserbourg and 
Haag, on the roads of Brannau, took four or five 
hundred prisoners, and seventeen pieces of cannon ; 
having thus taken, since his entry at Munich, fif- 
teen hundred prisoners, nineteen pieces of cannon, 
two hundred horses, and a quantity of baggage. 

The emperor passed the Rhine on the 1st of 
October ; the Danube the 6th, at five o'clock in 
the morning ; the Lech the same day, at half past 
three ; his troops entered Munich on the I2th ; his 
advanced guard arrived on the Inn on the 15tk. 
On the same day he vi^as master of Meramingea 



I805.J NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 21$l 

ind on the 17th of Ulm, when the terms of the 
capitulation were finally settled. The garrison 
was allowed to march out with the honours of war, 
and, after filing off, to lay down their arms. Th'^ 
field-officers were permitted to return home unor 
their parole ; but the subalterns and soldiers were 
sent prisoners to France. He took from the 
enemy at Wertingen, Gunsburgh, Elchingen, the 
days of Memmingen and Ulm, and in the actions 
of Albeck, Langenau, and Neresheim, forty thou- 
sand men, more than forty stand of colours, a groat 
number of cannon, baggage wagons, &c. ; and 
to accomplish all this, only marches and manoeuvres 
were employed. — In these partial actions, the loss 
of the French army amounted to no more than five 
hundred killed, and a thousand wounded. It was 
a common remark among the troops, " The em- 
peror has found out a new method of making war 
— he only makes us use our legs instead of our 
bayonets." Five sixths of the army never fired a 
shot, which mortified them much. But they had 
all marched a great deal. The eulogy of the 
army may be pronounced in a breath — it is worthy 
of its chief. 

In a proclamation to the army, dated October 21, 
at Elchingen, the emperor said, " Of 100,000 men 
who composed the Austrian army, 60,000 are 
prisoners ; they will go to take the place of oui 
conscripts in the labours of our fields. Two l.un- 
dred pieces of cannon, (their whole park,) 90 stand 
of colours, and all their generals, are in our hands 
there have not escaped of this army 15,000 men 
Soldiers, I had announced to you a great battle 
but, thanks to the bad combinations of the f»nemy 
^ hav2 been able to obtain the same success, with 



2*2C MEMOIRS OF [i80A 

out running any risk ; and, what is imexam{iled in 
the history of nation^ so important a result has 
not diminished our force by more than 1500 men '* 

On the 24th of October, Napoleon arrived at 
Miuiich, which was tastefully illuminated on Ihs 
o?3asion. 

J3rannau was found tc be one of tlie finest acquisi 
tions for the army. It was surrounded by a cir 
cumvallation fortified with bastions, drawbridges, 
a half-moon, and ditches full of water. The 
place was also most abundantly supplied with 
provisions, ammunition, and artillery necessary 
to support a long siege. 

At this time it snowed six inches deep, and the 
roads were horrible : yet Marshal Davoust took a 
position between Ried and Haag. The emperor 
of Germany, in his anxiety, came to Wells, where 
he learned the disasters of his army at Ulm 
Vienna was threatened with famme. 

On the 3d of November, Marshal Davoust hac 
pushed his advanced. posts to Steyer. Since pass- 
ing the Inn, from 14 to 16,000 prisoners had bee?/ 
taken, Austrians and Russians, without including 
the sick. Napoleon's head-quarters were esta'j. 
lished at Lambach 

Prince Murat, after the capture of Enns, pur- 
sued the enemy anew. The Russian army on the 
heights of Amstetten were attacked by General 
Oudinot's grenadiers ; the battle was very obsti- 
nate ; the Russians left 400 dead on the field of 
battle, and 1500 prisoners. The French advarced 
posts being at St. Polten on the 8th of November, 
the enemy was attacked near Marienzell, pui id 
the route, and pursued five leagues, losing three 
standards, sixteen pieces of cannon, and 4000 



1805.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 22 1 

pri.^oiiers. On the 9th, in the morning, Prince 
Murat arrived at St. Hyppo^'^^e. Here a deputation 
of the inhabitants of Vienna, with Prince Zinzei;- 
dorf at their head, attended him, to declare the 
emperor's intention to deliver up the metropolia, 'n 
order to preserve it from the horrors of war; and 
that, in so doing, he depended on the justice and 
generosit}^ of Bonaparte to carry his benevolent 
wishes into execution. The deputies were received 
by Prince Murat with attention and respect, and, 
having obtained the strongest assurances of protec 
tion, they returned to Vienna. General Sebastian) 
entered that cit)'' in consequence of arrangements 
then made, and his troops were quietly conducted 
to the quarters assigned for them. 

The whole court and the nobility had quitted that 
capital, and the emperor of Austria was preparing 
to follow. The Russian army had effected its 
retreat to Krems, by repassing the Danube, ap- 
prehending that its communications with Moravia 
might be cut off. 

The Russians declined all the temptations held 
out to them to engage on the heights of St. Polten, 
and, as before observed, passed the Danube at 
Krems, burning the bridge, which was very hand- 
some. But when Marshal Mortier, with six battal- 
ions, advanced towards Siein on the 11th, he 
reckoned upon finding the Russian rear-guard 
there, but found their whole army, the advanced 
guard excepted, which had not passed. The battle 
of Diernstein then took place, which it was said 
would be for ever celebrated in military annals. 
From six in the morning till four in the afternoon, 
four thousand French made head against all that 
opposed them, and, havino; made themselves masters 
19 * P 



322 MEMOIRS OF [I80d 

of Loiben, they .bought all was ov ^,r ; but the 
enemy, enraged at having lost ten stand 5 of coloura, 
six pieces of cannon, nine hundred prisoners, and 
two thousand killed, had marched t\ 'o columns 
through difficult passes to turn the Fr ^nch. Aa 
soon as Mortier perceived this, he marchf ^1 straight 
against the troops that had turned him, and cut his 
way through the enemy's lines, at the very moment 
that the 9th regiment of light infantry and the 33d 
of the line had charged and defeated another 
Russian corps, taKing two stands of colours, and 
making 4000 prisoners. This was a day of blood ; 
more than 4000 Russians were killed and wounded, 
and 1300 made prisoner^!, and the loss of the 
French was very considerable. Colonel Wattier, 
of the 4th dragoons, an officer of great worth 
was made prisoner. It then appeared that the em- 
peror of Germany, the ministers and the court, 
were at Brunn, in Moravia, where the emperor 
Alexander was expected. 

The last battle had totally disconcerted the plan 
of the Russians, who now evacuated Krems, and 
quitted the Danube, leaving 1500 prisoners in a 
state of great want. Marshal Mortier and ov,ier 
divisions set out in pursuit of them. 

On the 13th of November, Prince Murat en- 
tered and passed through Vienna. The troops did 
not stop in that city : but Prince Murat established 
his head-quarters at the house of Duke Albert. 
The emperor Napoleon took up his residence in 
the palace of Schoenbrunn. The cannon, arms 
and amummtion found at Vienna, exceeded expec- 
tation. The French confessed that the inhabitants 
ol that city, by their coniuct, evinced as much 
'r>tiudrth p to them as of hatred to the Russians 



1805.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 223 

whose habits and barbarous manners A'ere disgust- 
ing to polished nations. 

On the 15th of November, Prince Murat, and 
the corps under General Lannes, came up with the 
Russians at Hollebrun : the French cavalry charged 
them, and they immediately abandoned the ground, 
leaving a hundred carriages with their equipage. 

By the emperor's order, the corps of Murat, and 
those of Marshal Lannes and Soult, formed a junc- 
tion. The Russians took up a position behind the 
village of Schoen Grabern, and beyond this was a 
defile defended by six thousand of their best troops. 
An action here began with some skirmishes with the 
cavalry, after which Marshal Lannes ordered Ou- 
dinot's division of grenadiers to advance to an 
attack upon the front and the left of the enemy's 
position. Marshal Soult caused their right to be 
turned by Lagrande's division, whilst Vandamme's 
corps supported that of the grenadiers. 

General Oudinot, at the head of Mortier's gren- 
adiers, rushed upon the Russians, with his wonted 
impetuosity ; but the latter, having the advantage 
in their position, resisted the shock with firmness. 

After an obstinate conflict, that lasted till eleven 
at night, the French found themselves masters of 
the field of battle, eighteen hundred prisoners, and 
twelve pieces of cannom 

The advance of Murat, on the 16th of November, 
brought on the battle of Tuntersdorf, in which s 
part of the Russian rear-guard was routed, leaving 
two thousand prisoners and two thousand wounded 
on the field of battle. 

On the 17tli, the emperor Napoleon advanced his 
head-quarters to Znaim, where the Russian rear- 
guard., retreating towards Brunn, had left theii 



224 MEMOIRS OF lISOA 

fiick. In consta.nt pursuit of the enemy, Princ« 
Mural entered Brunn on the 18th of November 
The emperor Napoleon's head-quarters were then 
fixed at Pohorlitz, but arrived again at Brunn of 
the 20th. But on the 2 /"th, upon receiving the 
full powers of M. M. Stadion and de Giulay, ho 
made the previous offer of an armistice, to spare 
the effusion of human blood. The emperor soon 
perceived that they had other projects ; and, as their 
hope of success could only be derived from the 
side of the Russians, he easily conceived that, the 
second and third armies being arrived, and near 
Olmutz, the proposed negotiations were only a 
ruse de guerre. Accordingly, on the 28th of No- 
vember, at nine in the morning, a cloud of Cos- 
sacks, supported by Russian cavalry, made Prince 
Murat's advanced posts fall back, surrounded 
Wischau, and took fifly of the sixth regiment Ox 
dragoons. In the course of the day the emperor 
of Russia repaired to Wischau, and the whole ot 
the Russian army took up a position behind that 
city. 

Napoleon's plan from that moment was to wait 
for them, and to watch the most favourable moment 
for action. He therefore ordered his army to 
retreat in the night, as if he had actually been 
defeated ; took a good position three leagues in 
the rear, and laboured with much ostentation at 
fortifying it, and raising batteries. He proposed 
an interview to Aie emperor of Russia, A'ho sent 
him his aid-de-camp, Prince Dolgorucki. Tha.^ 
officer might remark, that every thing breathed 
fear and apprehension in the appearance of the 
French army. The placing strong guards, anc 
the fortifications throwi up with s'ach haste, aj 



1805.'. NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 2713 

p^-jired to the Russian officer like the precautic .id 
of an army half beaten. 

With those young men, who had taken u{x n 
them to direct the affairs of Russia, it was hQ 
longer a question, whether the French army shou.d 
be beaten, but whether it should be turned aiJ 
taken. Several old Austrian generals, who ha.d 
made campaigns against the emperor Napoleon 
are said to have warned the Russian council 
dgainst too much confidence, when they had to 
march against old soldiers, and able officers. They 
said they had seen Napoleon, reduced to a hand- 
ful of men, repossess himself of victory, under cne 
most difficult circumstances, by rapid and unfore- 
seen operations, and destroy numerous armies ; 
that here no advantage had been obtained ; and 
that, on the contrary, all the affairs with the Rus- 
sian rear-guard had been in favour of the French ; 
— but to this the presumptuous young men opposed 
the bravery of the 80,000 Russians, ""he enthu- 
siasm inspired by the presence of theii emperor, 
and the picked corps of the imperial guard of 
Russia. 

In the order of the day before the battle of 
Austerlitz, the emperor Napoleon inserted the fol- 
iowmg proclamation : 

" December 1 

" Soldiers, the Russian army is before you, (o 
avenge the Austrian army at Ulm. They are the 
same battalions you beat at Hollebrun, and which 
you have onstantly pursued. The positions we 
Dccupy are formidable ; and whilst they march to 
3ny right, they shall present me their flank. — 
Soldiers, I shall direct myself all your battalions 
shall keep at a distance from the firing, if, witi 



226 MEMOIRS OF 1805 

your accustomed bravery, yoi carry confusian and 
disorder into the enemy's ranks; but if victory be 
for a moment doubtful, you shall see your empero? 
expose himself to the first blows ; for victory car 
not hesitate on this day, in which the honour ol 
tlie French infantry, of so much importan'se to the 
whole nation, is concerned. Let not the ranks be 
Ihinned under pretence of carrying oiF the wound- 
ed ; but let each be well persuaded that we must 
conquer these hirelings of England, who are 
animated with so deep a hatred to our nation. 
This victory will finish our campaign, and we shall 
resume our winter-quarters, where we shall be 
joined by the new armies forming in France ; then 
the peace which I make will be worthy of my 
people, of you, and of me. 

(Signed) " Napoleon." 

It was early on the morning of the second of 
December, that the emperor, with great joy, saw 
from the heights the Russian army beginning a 
movement, within twice the distance of cannon- 
shot, to turn his right. He said several times, 
" Before to-morrow night, that army shall be in my 
power." Yet the enemy's idea was diflTerent ; 
they appeared before the French posts within pis- 
tol-shot. By a flank march they defiled upon a 
line four leagues long. In passing the length of 
the French army, which seemed afrtid of quitting 
its position, the Russians appeared to have but one 
fear, and that was, that their ene/ny sliould escape. 
Every thing was done w lich could favour this 
deception. Prince Murat sent out a small corpa 
on the p/ain but all at once it seemed astonished 



1805.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 227 

at the immense force of the enemy, and returned 
in haste. 

At night the emperor Napoleon went on foot and 
incog., and visited all the posts, but was almost im- 
mediately recognised by the soldiers, who pladed 
lighted straw upon long poles, and 80,000 men 
joiriec^ in saluting the emperor with acclamations', 
some to celebrate the anniversary of his coronation, 
others saying, that the army would to-morrow offer 
its bouquette to the emperor. One of the oldest 
grenadiers went up to him, and said, " Sire, yoii 
need not expose yourself: I promise you, in the 
name of the grenadiers, that you shall have only 
to fight with your eyes, and that we will bring you 
to-morrow the colours and artillery of the Russian 
army, to celebrate the anniversary of your corona 
tion." 

Omitting the previous disposal of the different 
corps, for the sake of brevity, we must avail our- 
selves of the words of the celebrated bulletin of 
this day, dated Austerlitz, December 3. 

" At one in the morning, the emperor got on 
horseback to visit the posts, reconnoitre the fires 
of the enemy, and get an account of what the 
guards had learned of the movements of the Rus- 
sians. He heard that they had passed the night in 
drunkenness and noise. 

" This battle, which the soldiers persist in call- 
ing the day of the three emperors, which others 
call the day of the anniversary, and which the em- 
peror named the battle of Austerlitz, will be ever 
memorable in the annals of the great nation. The 
Chtperor, surrounded by all the marshals, waited 
only for the horizon to clear up, to issue his last 
wders. When the sun shot forth his first raya 



228 



MEMOFRS OF 



[1805 



the orders were issued, and each marahal joinee 
his corps full gdllcp. The emperor said, in passing 
along tl :e front of several regiments, ' Soldiers, we 
must finish this campaign by a thunderbolt, which 
shall confound the pride of our enemies;' and in 
jstanl !y hats were placed at the point of bayonets, 
and cries of Vive l^empereur were the signal for 
battle. A moment afterwards, the cannonade 
began at the extremity of the right, which the 
enemy's advanced guard had already outflanked ; 
but the unexpected meeting with Marshal Davoust 
stopped the enemy snort, and the battle began. 
Marshal Soult put Irlmself in motion at the same 
moment, proceeded to the heights of the village of 
Pratzen, with Generals Vandamme and St. Hilaire's 
divisions, and cut off the enemy's right, whose 
movements became uncertain. Surprised by a 
flank march, whilst it was flying, believing itself 
to be attacking, and seeing itself attacked, it con- 
Bidered itself as half defeated. Prince Murat was 
in motion with his cavalry. The left wing, under 
rhe command of General Lannes, marched forward 
also, en echelons, by regiments, in the same manner 
as if they had been exercising by divisions. A 
tremendous cannonade took place along the whole 
line : 203 pieces of cannon, and nearly 200,000 
men, made a dreadful noise ; it was really a giant 
combat. Not an hour had elapsed, and the ene- 
my's whole left was cut off ; their right had already 
reached Austerlitz, the head-quarters of the two 
emperors, who marched immediately to the em 
peror of Russia's guard, to restore the communica- 
tion of ,he centre with the left. A battalion of 
'he 4th of the line was charged by the imprria] 
lussian giard oi horseback, and routed; but the 



1805 "* NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 229 

emperor was at hand ; he perceivdd this uiove- 
ment ; ordered Marsnal Bessieres to go to the suc- 
cour of his right, with his invincibles, and tiie two 
guards were soon engaged. Success could not be 
doubtful ; in a moment the Russian guard was rout- 
ed ; their colonel, artillery, standards, and every 
thing were taken. The regiment of the grand 
duke Constantino was annihilated ; he owed his 
safety only to the swiftness of his horse. 

" From the heights of Austerlitz the two em- 
perors beheld the defeat of all the Russian guard 
At the same moment the centre of the army, com- 
manded by Marshal Bernadotte, advanced. All 
the charges were victorious. At one, P. M., the 
victory was decided ; it had not been doubtful for 
a moment ; not a man of the reserve was wanted, 
and had assisted no where : a cannonade was kept 
up only on our right. The enemy's corps, which 
had beer, surrounded and driven from all the 
heights, were on a flat, and near a lake. The em- 
peior hastened thither, with twenty pieces of can- 
non. This corps was driven from position to 
position, and we saw the horrid spectacle, such as 
was seen at Aboukir, of 20,000 men throwing 
themselves in the lake. Two columns of Russians 
4000 each, laid down their arms, and surrendere<i 
themselves prisoners. All the enemy's park of ar- 
tillery was taken. 

"The result of this day is forty Russian stand- 
ards, 20,000 prisoners, twelve or fifteen generals: 
at least 15,000 Russians killed on the field of bat- 
tie." The French loss was comparatively incon. 
Biderable. " Our army, though fine and numerous 
»va.s less numerous than that of the enemy, whicl 

VOL. I 20 



23(1 MEMOIRS OF [1805 

was 105,000 strong — 80,000 Russians, and 25,00C 
Austrians : the half of this army was destroyedc'' 

The day after this battle, Napoleon addressed to 
his army a proclamation, which closed w^th these 
words : 

" Soldiers, when all that is necessary to secure 
tlie happiness and prosperity of our country shall 
be accomplished, I will lead you back to France ; 
there you shall be the objects of my most tender 
solicitude : my people will behold you again with 
joy ; and it will be sufficient for you to say, ' I was 
at the batt-e of Austerlitz,' to authorize the reply 
— 'Behold a brave man I '" 

Many of the bulletins of the French army are 
known to have been written by Napoleon. Per- 
haps there is not any one among them all, in which 
more of this extraordinary man may be seen, than 
in the thirty-first, dated Austerlitz, December 5, 
which describes the interview between him and the 
emperor of Germany, with the interesting commu- 
nications that passed between the former and the 
emperor Alexander, who was absolutely a prisoner 
till he had agreed to the capitulation proposed by 
Napoleon. 

" The emperor of Germany did not conceal on his 
own part, nor that of the emperor of Russia, all the 
contempt which the conduct of England had in- 
spired. He also made known to Napoleon, that the 
emperor of Russia wished to make a separate 
peace ; that he vould entirely abandon England, 
The emperor of Germany several iimca r^eated 
in the conversation, that there was no deubt the 
quarrel with England was just on the part of 
France. He also demanded a truce for the re* 
oiains of the Russian army. Tire emperor Napo 



1805.J 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



23i 



leon gave him to understaDd, that, the Russian 
army being surrounded, not a man of them could 
escape • ' but,' added he, ' as I wish to oblige the 
emperor Alexander, I will suffer the Russians to 
pass. I will order my. own columns to halt; but 
your majesty must promise me that the Russiaw 
army shall return to Russia, and evacuate Germany 
Austrian and Prussian Poland.' ' That,' answered 
the emperor of Germany, 'I can assure you, is the 
intention of the emperor Alexander.' Bonaparte 
said to the emperor Francis, 'I receive you in the 
only palace I have lived in these two months.' The 
emperor Napoleon went through the field of battle, 
and had the wounded removed. Some of them 
forgot their sufferings, and said, ' Is the victory 
quite certain ? ' Forty-eight hours after the battle, 
there were a number of wounded Russians that 
could not be dressed. The foot guards of the em- 
peror could not engage ; they wept through spite, 
and absolutely insisted upon doing something. 
' Be satisfied,' said Napoleon ; ' you are the re- 
serve ; it will be better if you have nothing to do 
to-day.' The commander of the artillery of the 
imperial Russian guard lost his cannon. He met 
me emperor. ' Sire,' said he, ' order me to be 
shot ; I have lost my cannon.' ' Young man,' re- 
plied the emperor, ' I esteem your tears ; but one 
may be beaten by my army, and still retain some 
pretension to glory.' The French artillery di<i 
prodigious injury to the enemy. The emperor said, 
' This gives me pleasure : \t was in this corps 1 
began my military career.' '^ 

The emperor Alexander allowed it was the first 
time he had seen fire ; that Napoleon was a greal 



S32 MEIkiOIRS OF [1805. 

warrior; and that he never thought of comparing 
himself with him. 

The terms of the capitulation prescribed by Na- 
polecn having been acceded to by Alexander the 
Russian army oegan its march on the 8th of De- 
cember, in thi*ee columns, and Alexander went ni 
the head of tne first. 

The intelligence of the successes of the trmy of 
Germany was received with the greatest enthu 
siasm by the majority of the French people. From 
this moment the fanaticism of military glory quite 
eflJaced the few remaining impressions made upon 
them by the love of liberty. Napoleon had well 
calculated the results ; he polished and brightened 
the fetters which he intended for his fellow citi- 
zens. 

The emperor Napoleon, whose orders were ex- 
ecuted at once upon the coasts of the German 
Ocean, and those of the Adriatic, in the kingdom 
of Naples, had collected upon the frontiers of hia 
new kingdom of Italy all the troops dispersed in 
the interior, and intrusted the command of them 
to Marshal Massena. All these, amounting to 
about 40 or 50,000 men, formed five divisions of 
infantry, and occupied at first a line upon the 
Adige, nearly parallel with that of the Austrians on 
the oXhec side of that river. Our limits will not 
allow us to detail the various operations of Me^- 
sena and his generals, by which the Austrians 
commanded by the archduke Charles, were driven 
from all their positions, until the French armies of 
Germany and Italy had formed a junction at Cla 
genfurth in Carinthia. 

The Italian campaign of 1805 ga^^e new iUstrt 
lo the repudiation of Marshal Masseua, whos« 



1805.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 235 

manoeuvres upon the Adige and the Isonzo uroved 
that the conqueror of Zurich deserved to rank 
among the most able of the French generals. 

Thus, in the course of twc months, Napoleon had 
defeated two emperors on the field of battle, and 
aompelled the emperor Francis to sign the humilia- 
tion of the house of Austria, by the treaty of Pres- 
burg that followed, in making a separate peace. 

On the 27th of December, 1805, an official bul- 
letin, issued from the palace of Schoenbrunn, near 
\''ieDna, announced to Europe the promotion of the 
electors of Bavaria and Wirtemburg to the rank 
of monarchs, without ceasing to belong to the con- 
federation of the Rhine ; the re-union of Venice to 
the kingdom of Italy ; and the resolution of the 
French emperor to expel the king of Naples and his 
family rom his throne. Napoleon had also demand- 
ed the hand of the Princess Amelia Augusta oi 
Bavaria for Prince Eugene, whom he proposed ts 
adopt for his son. 



234 MEMOIRS OF » 1806 



CHAPTER XV. 

Enlhrtmemeiii of the Kings of Wirtemburg ami Bavaria- 
Adoption of the Viceroy of Italy — War loith Naples — Offcn 
«'t'€ Conduct of /he British Ministry respecting- Prussia — Oc 
cupation of Dabnatia and Istria — Transfer oftlie Tyrol Coun- 
try— Mr. {"ox appointed to tJie British ministry — Marriage oj 
the Prince of Baden with Stephanie Beauharnois — Anecdotei 
of this interesting Lady — Constitution and Conduct of Napo- 
leon's Council of State — Anecdotes — State Prisons in France — ■ 
Public Works executed by Order of Bonaparte — Joseph Bona- 
parte made King of Naples, and Louis King of Holland — OtJiet 
Promotions. 

On the 1st of January, this veai. the new kiiiffs 
of Wirtemburg and Bavaria were enthroned with 
much solemnity at Munich and at Stuttgard. On 
the same day the French tribunate presented to the 
senate the Russian and Austrian colours taken at 
Austerlitz, and sent to Paris by Napoleon, together 
with the ratifications of the treaty of Presburg, 
that had been exchanged at Vienna, which city 
was not entirely evacuated by the French troops 
till nine days after Napoleon had quitted this capi- 
tal, on the 29th of December, for Munich, where 
he arrived on the 31st. Here he received the 
viceroy of Italy, Eugene Beauharnois, whom lie 
adopted as his son on the 12th, and who was married 
to the princess royal of Bavaria on the day follow 
ing. 

The king of Naples was now doomed to feel 
the weight of Napoleon's vengeance. Queen Car- 
'tline, who had the entire government of her 
spouse, and was always influenced by her hatred 
against France, had promised to make a powerful 



1806.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 231 

diversion in favour of England, with the assistance 
of the Rtssian and British troops, whom she ex- 
pected at Naples. Hitherto Napoleon's unexpect- 
ed successes had prevented her from carrying Jiig 
Droject into execution. 

On the 8th of January, the English foices hau 
arrived at Naples as auxiliaries, but in a few days 
they re-embarked for Sicily. The Russians, who 
had come on the same errand, set sail for Corfu on 
the 13th of January, 1806. 

Napoleon, who had destined the crown of Naples 
for his brother Joseph, had appointed him general- 
in-chief of the army sent to invade Naples. 

Mars^hal Massena, in l!he mean time, was charged 
with directing the movements of the army, in which 
Gouvion St. Cyr and Regnier acted as lieutenant- 
generals. Whilst Massena was preparing for this 
grand enterprise, the British ministry exhibited an 
example of indiscretion, sufficient in itself to deter 
any power whatever from entering into alliance 
with them. They laid before the house of com- 
mons complete copies of the treaties concluded 
with Austria, Russia, and Sweden, and thus pro- 
voked a public discussion of their contents ; a step 
involving a disclosure which Prussia was very un- 
willing to sanction, especially since the termination 
of the campaign. In fact, the same king of Prussia, 
whom the British ministry had compromised much 
Jess than he had done himself by his own conduct, 
three days after opening the parliament, on the 24th 
of January, annour.ced to h.s army, by means of 
an article inserted in the gazette of Berlin, " tlie 
continuance of peace," which, to the eyes of impar- 
tial men, sufficiently exposed the abs^urci enterprises 



230 MEMOIRS OF ,1806 

in which he Iiad be«n secretly engaged previous to 
the end of the year 1805. 

On the same day that this article appeared ir 
the official gazette at Berlin, the grand duke Con- 
stantine, who arrived there soon after the battle of 
Austerlitz, left that city, but not without taking 
leave of Baron Hardenberg, then considered as the 
head of the English party in the Prussian cabinet. 
Soon after this the Prussian troops invaded the 
electorate of Hanover, an act of hostility both 
against England and Sweden, in favour of which 
this court had armed but one month before, and 
which, six months after, it was again to repeat, 
though at the hazard of its existence. 

On the other hand, the allies of France began 
to enjoy the advantages procured them by the 
treaty of Presburg. Napoleon passed the Rhine, 
and arrived at Paris on the 26th of January, 1806. 
He had already distributed his troops in such a 
manner as to act as an army of observation upon 
Prussia : hence the seventh corps of the grand 
army, under Marshal Augereau, began to establish 
itself about Frankfort on the Maine, at which place 
Augereau fixed his head-quarters. Negotiatioiis, 
however, still continued between the Prussian cab- 
inet and that of the Tuilleries ; and on the 8th of 
March, the Prussian envoy, M. Haugvv^itz, conclud- 
ed a treaty, in virtue of which Friederick William 
accepted of Hanover in exchange for several Prus- 
sian provinces, as Anspach, which was given to 
Bavaria, the prmcipality of Neufchatel and de Va- 
langin, the co mtry of Cleves, and Wesel, whiclt 
Nupoleon reserved \n favoui of Marshal Berthier 
or Prince Murat. 



i806.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 23"? 

Othev occupations of territory had been aiitho 
rized by the treaty of Presburg. The generals 
Mollitor and Mathieu Dumas, at the head o^ a 
French corps, had begun to take possession of 
Dahnatia on the first of February ; and on the 
same day the emperor of Austria sent troops to 
occupy the bishopric of Wurtzburg which had 
fallen to his brother as an indemnity for the elec- 
torate of Salzburg. On the 11th of February, a 
French commissary delivered up the Tyrol to the 
delegates sent thither by the king of Bavaria ; on 
the 16th, a proclamation announced the taking pos- 
session of Istria by the emperor of the French, king 
of Italy ; on the 14th of March, the French troops 
occupied the city and territory of Nuremberg, in 
behalf of the king of Bavaria, to whom it was 
consigned. The latter, by a patent, dated the 15th 
of March, announced the cession of the dutchy of 
Berg to France ; and Prince Murat announced, in 
his turn, the cession of Cleves and Berg, made to him 
by Napoleon. In fine, the kings of Wirtemburg 
and Bavaria, and the grand duke elector of Baden, 
continueu in possession of their respective estates 
in Swabia, Franconia, and the Brisgau, under the 
auspices of France, which was several times con- 
strained to send commissaries to adjust the differ- 
ences that arose amongst these princes, about fix- 
ing their respective boundaries. 

Whilst these arrangements were makmg upon 
thiB continent, the king of Great Britain called the 
illustrious Mr. Fox to the helm of public affairs, as 
the only person capable of supporting the totter ng 
edificQ of the ministry, shaken by the death of F tt 

On the evening of the opening of the legisla/ ve 
corps, the hereditary prince of Baden arrivef^ ai 



238 MEMOIRS OF (180^ 

Paris, and two days afterwards the senate was in 
formed, by a message, of the marriage of this 
prmce with a niece of the empress Josephine, 
Mademoiselle Stephanie Beauharnois, whom Napo- 
'eon had adopted some time before. 

This union was for several years far from being 
happy. In course of time, however, the causes of 
difference gradually vanished ; the prince and 
princess became attached to each other, and from 
that moment they had only to regret the happiness 
of which they had deprived themselves during tht 
early years of their marriage. 

At the conferences at Erfurt, the princess o-* 
Baden received the most marked attentions frorr 
her brother-in-law, the emperor Alexander. Dur 
ing the disasters of the French in 1813, persons 
who were at the head of political affairs succeeded 
in depriving the princess of the regard of her 
august relative, by circulating false reports to the 
prejudice of her character. Thus, when Alexander 
arrived at Manheim, in his triumphal march to 
Paris, he by no means treated Princess Stephanie 
with due respect. On this occasion, the conduct 
pursued by the prince of Baden reflected true glory 
on his character. The most august personages 
surrounded him, and urged him to repudiate tht, 
vt^ife whom he had received from the hands of Na- 
poleon. But the prince, witli true nobleness of 
sentiment, rejected the idea, observing that lie 
would never commit such an act of baseness, which 
would be as repugnant to his affections as to hia 
honour. This generous prince afterwards fell a 
victim to a tedious and painful illness. The prin 
cess personally attended on her husband through 
out the whole of his sufferings, performing wjth 



1806] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE 239 

her own hands all the minute services that Lis sit« 
uation required ; her devoted attachment gained 
her the admiration of all her relatives and subjects 

Princess Stephanie at all times professed the 
highest veneration for him, who, when in the enjoy- 
ment of boundless power, had benevolently adop'^td 
aer as his child. 

The council of state being frequently mentioned, 
some account of its constitution and conduct may 
illustrate the character of its founder : 

The council of state, as a whole, were Napo- 
leon's real council, and his mind in deliberation, as 
the mmisters were his mind in execution. At the 
council of state were prepared the laws which the 
emperor presented to the legislative body, a cir- 
cumstance which rendered it altogether one of the 
elements of the legislative power. In the council, 
the emperor's decrees and rules of public, adminis- 
'^ration were drawn up ; and the plans of his 
ministers were examined, discussed and corrected. 

This council received appeals, and pronounced 
finally on all administrative judgments ; and inci- 
dentally on those of all other tribunals, even those 
of the court of cassation. There complaints 
against the ministers were examined, and appeals 
from the emperor to the emperor better informed. 
Thus the council of state, at which the emperoi 
uniformly presided, being frequently in direct oppo- 
sition to the ministers, or occupied in reforming 
their acts and errors, naturally become the point of 
refuge for persons or interests aggrieved by any 
authority whatever. 

So little was the nature of this council under- 
stood by the people in general, that it was believed 
no one dare utter a word in that assembly, in oppo- 



240 MEMOIRS OF [1806 

sition to the emperor's opinion. Thus Las Cases 
very much surprised many persons, when he related 
the fact, that one day, during a very animated 
debate, the emperor, having been interrupted three 
times in giving his opinion, turned towards the in- 
dividual who had rather rudely cut him short, and 
said in a sharp tone — " I have not yet done. I beg 
you will allow me to continue. I believe every 
one here has a right to deliver his opinion." 
The smartness of this reply, notwithstanding the 
solemnity of the occasion, excited a general laugh, 
in which the emperor himself joined. 

Every member was at liberty to speak ; if several 
rose at the same time, the order of precedence 
was regulated by the emperor. When he thought 
the question, in which he usually took no inconsiaer- 
able share himself, sufficiently discussed, he made a 
summary of the arguments, which was always lu- 
minous, and frequently marked with novelty and 
point, which, thus being brought to a conclusion, 
was put to the vote. 

The greatest freedom prevailed in these debates. 
The animation of the speakers, increasing by 
degrees, became sometimes excessive, and the dis- 
cussion was often protracted beyond measure, par- 
ticularly when the emperor, occupied probably with 
some other subject, seemed, either from abstraction 
or something else, to be altogether ignorant of 
jvhat was going on. He then commonly cast an 
irresolute eye over the hall, cut pencils with his 
penknife, pricked the tapestry of his table, or the 
arm of his chair, with the point of it, or employed 
his pencil or pen in scrawling whimsical marks oi 
sketches, which, after he was gone, excited the ar- 
dent att(^ntion of the young members, who made » 



1806.] N\POLE(»N BONAPARTE. 24 

kind of scramble for them ; and it was curious to ob- 
serve, when he liappened to have traced the name 
of some country or capital, the hyperbolical inferen- 
ces that were sought to be extracted from it. Some- 
times, too, when the emperor entered the council, 
as soon as his dinner was ended, and having under- 
gone great fatigue during the morning, ho would 
fold his arms upon the table, lay down his head, 
and fail asleep. The arch-chancellor proceeded 
with the deliberations, which were continued with- 
out interruption ; and the emperor, on awakening, 
immediately caught up the thread of the discussion, 
though the previous subject might have been ended, 
and another introduced. The emperor often asked 
for a glass of water and sugar ; and a table in the 
adjoining room was always laid out with refresh- 
ments for his use, without any precautions being 
adopted as to the individuals who were permitted 
to approach it. 

One day the counsellor of state. General Gas- 
sendi, taking part in the debate of the moment, 
dwelt a long time upon the doctrines of economists. 
The emperor, who was much attached to his old ar- 
tillery comrade, stopped him, saying, "My dear 
general, where did you gain all this knowledge ? 
Where did you imbibe these principles .^" Gassen- 
di replied, that he had borrowed his opinions from 
Napoleon himself. " How !"" exclaimed the empe- 
ror with warmth — " What do you say ? Is it possi 
ble ? From me, who have always thought, that, if 
there existed a monarchy of granite, the chimeras 
of political economists would reduce it to powder !' 
And, after some othei remarks, partly ironical ana 
partly serious, he concluded — " Go, general ! yoL 
must have fallen asleep in your ofRce, and have 

VOL. f. 21 



242 MEMOIRS OF [1806 

dreamed all this." — Gassendi, who was rather iraa- 
cible, replied — " Oh, as for falling asleep in oui 
offices, sire, I defy any one to do that with you 
you plague us too much for that." All the council 
burst into a fit of laughter, and the eiiperor 
laughed loader than any one. 

A scene of a very different kind occurred an- 
other time. A religious party was fomenting civil 
discord in the state, by secretly circulating bulla 
and letters from the pope. They were shown to 
M. Portal, a counsellor of state, appointed to super- 
intend religious worship, and who, if he did not 
nimself circulate them, at least neither prevented 
nor denounced their circulation. This was discov- 
ered, and the emperor suddenly challenged him 
with the fact in open council. " What could have 
been your motive, sir ? " said he. " Were you in- 
fluenced by your religious principles ? If so, why 
are you here .'' I use no control over the conscience 
of any man. Did I force you to become my coun- 
sellor of state ? On the contrary, you solicited the 
post as a high favour. You are the youngest mem- 
ber of the council, and perhaps the only one who 
has not some personal claim to. that honour : you 
had nothing to recommend you but the inheritance 
of your father's services. You took a personal 
oath to me : how could your religious feelings per- 
mit you openly to violate that oath, as you have just 
now done ? Speak, however ; you are here in con- 
fidence ; your colleagues shall be your judges. 
Your crime is a great one, sir. A conspiracy for 
the commission of a violent act is stopped as soon 
as we seize the crm that holds the poniard ; but a 
conspiracy to influence the public mind has nc 
end : it is like a train of gunpowder. Perhaps at 



IS06.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 24a 

'his very moment whole towns are thrown into 
commotion through your fault," The counsellor 
^uite confused, said nothing- in reply : the first ap- 
odal was sufficient to establish the fact. The mem- 
bers of the council, to the majority of whom thia 
event was quite unexpected, were struck with aslon 
ishment, and observed profound silence. " Why," 
continued the emperor, " did you not, according to 
the obligation imposed by your oath, discover to me 
the criminal and his plots ? Am I not at all times 
accessible to every one of you ? " — " Sire," said 
the counsellor at length, venturing to reply, " he 
was my cousin." — " Your crime is then the greater, 
sir," replied the emperor sharply ; " your kinsman 
could only have been placed in office at your soli- 
citation : from that moment the responsibility 
devolved on you. When I look upon a man as en- 
tirely devoted to me, as your situation ought to 
render you, all who are connected with him, and 
all for whom he becomes responsible, from that 
time require no watching. These are my maxims." 
The accused member still remained silent, and the 
emperor continued — " The duties which a counsel- 
lor of state owes to me are immense. You, sir, 
have violated those duties, and you hold the office 
no longer. Begone : let me never see you here 
again ! " 

The disgraced counsellor, as he was withdrawing, 
passed very near the emperor : the latter looked at 
him and said — " 1 am sincerely grieved at this, sir ; 
for the services of your father are still fresh m my 
memory." When he was gone, the emperor 
added — " I hope such a scene as this may never be 
renewed ; it has done me too much harm. I an: 
«ot distrustful, but may become so ! / have allowec 



244 MEMOIRS OF IlSUO. 

myself to be surrounded by eveiy party: I have 
placed near my person even emigrants, and soldiers 
of the army of Cond^ ; and though it was wished 
to induce them to assassinate me, yet, to do them 
justice, they have continued faithful. Since I 
have held the reins of government, this is the first 
individual employed about me, by whom I have 
been betrayed :" and then, turning towards M. 
Locr6, who took notes of the debates of the coun- 
cil of state, he said, " write down betrayed — do you 
hear ?" 

The existence of state-prisons under Napoleon 
has been strongly objected to, especially by the 
English ; but these he contended were a benefit 
He justly observed, that, considering the crisis 
from which France had emerged, the factions that 
divided her, and the plots that had been laiJ, im- 
prisonment became indispensable. To becTne a 
prisoner of state was the means of preserving 
numbers from the scaffold. No persoii,, aa'ording 
to Napoleon's law, could be thus detained without 
the decision of his privy council, which ornsisted 
of sixteen persons. None could be imi»risoned 
more than a year, without a fresh decision of that 
council, and four votes out of sixteen wculd pro- 
cure any person's release. The fact is, that, at the 
time of Napoleon's downfall, the staua prisons 
scarcely contained 250 individuals ; ami when he 
became consul, he found 9000 persons confined in 
them. 

On the 2d of March, the emperor in person, with 
great pomp, opened the sittings of thfe legislative 
body. On the 5th, the minister of the interior at 
tended the assembly, to acquaint them with the sit 
nation oi' the empire He dwelt upon the dike* 



1806.J NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 24S 

that hac been formed near the Rhone, to restrain 
the inundations of that river ; decrees issued m 
favour of commerce ; schools for the instruction of 
youth ; new routes literally traversing Savoy, in 
spite of innumerable obstacles; the public estah 
lishments in Piedmont, then an integral part of 
the French empire, especially at Casal, Turin, and 
Alexandria; the latter place intended to become 
one of the principal bulwarks of the empire. 

The emperor's victories, his moderation, his new 
alliances, and their mutual advantages, were rapidly 
touched upon by the minister, who, in returning to 
the affairs of the interior, enumerated the efforts 
made to increase the ameliorations introduced into 
the administration of justice, and the measures 
adopted to carry the police to the highest degree 
of perfection. He then called the attention of hia 
auditors to the fine roads undertaken over the 
Simplon, Mount Cenes, and from Mount Genevre 
across the Maurienne, and the rocks between Gen- 
oa and Toulon ; he also enumerated the many 
roads completed, or commenced, in different parts 
of the empire ; the immense labours undertaken 
for improving the ancient routes ; he spoke of the 
brido-es built or rebuilt over the Rhine, the Mouse, 
the Loire, the Cher, the Loing, the Rhone, the 
Saone, the Durance, the Isere ; the towing-path? 
along the sides of many rivers ; the Po made nav- 
igable; the six great canals, and others less im 
portant, commenced, traced, or projected, and all 
intended to unite the two seas by means of internal 
navigation, or to connect the rivers of France so as 
to open new channels for <jommerce ; the establish- 
ment of swing, or chain bridges throughont the 
empire • three lines of telegraphs, and a better or- 
al * 



246 MEMOIRS OP |18U6 

ganization of bridges and causeways. The minis- 
ler pointed out the two new cities built in the room 
of those destroyed during the civil wars in the de- 
partments of Morbihan and La Vendue, besides 
basins wliich had been dug in thirty- five ports^ 
giibos, canals, quays, jettys, and moles established 
or repaired, ports enlarged, &c. 

The road over the Simplon, extending from Ge 
neva to Milan, was construv^ted by order of Bona- 
parte, under the direction of M. Ceard, on whom it 
confers immortal honour. 

In the course oi mis grand route, more than 
forty bridges, of various forms, are thrown from 
one wild chasm to another, numerous galleries, or 
subterranean passages, are not only cut through the 
solid rock, but through the glaciers also — those 
" thrilling regions of thick-ribbed ice ;" — and if to 
these we add the aqueducts that carry off the 
water ; the grand canal ; the walls that support 
and flank the whole of the route ; together with 
he innumerable works of art which must necessa- 
ily enter into, and form a part of this more than 
II<}rculean work ; we are at a loss which most to 
admire, the genius which contrived, or the skill 
which executed, so stupendous a work. More than 
30,000 men were constantly employed iu this un- 
dertaking, which was finished in 1805, after thres 
years' incessant labour. The road is now wide 
enough to admit three carriages abreast, but until 
tbe year 1801, it was impassable. 

On the 30th of March, Prince Joseph had beep 
proclaimed king of Naples and Sicily ; the princi- 
pality of Guastalia was transferred to the Princess 
^auline, sister to Napoleon, under the title of dutch- 
ess of Guastalla ; and that of Neufchatel tfl 



1806.1 NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 24"? 

Marshal Berthier, by the title of prince of Neuf- 
chatel. 

On the 5th of June, tne grand stignior, ha\in^* 
previously acknowledged the emperor Napoleon, 
Mouhib EfFendi, ambassador extraordinary from the 
Porte, had his first audience of Napoleon, at Paris. 

On the same day, his majesty proclaimed his 
brother Louis king of Holland ; and an imperial 
decree was passed, transferring to M. Talleyrand 
the principality of Benevento, under the title of 
prince ; and, by another decree, Bernadotte, marshal 
of the empire, was nominated prince of Ponte 
Corvo. 

One of the last acts of the senate, this year, 
was to grant the levy of 80,000 men out of the 
conscription for 1807. The prospect at that period 
was encouraging and flattering to French valour, 
which, by the victories of Ulm and Austerlitz, had 
excited the admiration of Europe, and loft France 
(dtiiout a r ml on th 3 continent. 



BNU 09 VOife 



MEMOIRS 

OF 

NAPOLEON BONAPARTEc 



CHAPTER I. 

Entrance of the French Army into Naples — Siege of Gaetix^ 
Causes of tJie Disaffection of the Neapolitans towards tfu 
French — Landing of^Ove British Troops under General Stuart. 
in Calabria — Affair near St. Eupliemia, called the Battle of 
Maiida, on the 4ih of July — Repulse of the French — March of 
the English towards Maida on the 8th — Swiss Soldiers in tfu 
French Pay mistaken for English — Departure of General 
Stuart and Sir Sidney Smith — Causes of tlie War between 
France and Prussia — The Kings of Sweden and Prussia — 
Hostile Disposition of Rvs'-aa towards Napoleon — Louis Bona- 
•parte King of Holland— Confederation of the Rhine — Napo- 
leon leaveb Paris to hjtad his Army — Tlie Pinissian Ultimatum 
— The Prussians out-i^jinoeuvred — Affair near Saalfeld — Battle 
of Jena — Blameable Conduct of Bernndotte — Napoleon at IVei- 
nar — Anecdotes — Slaughter of the Prussians near Halle — TJu 
French enter Berlin — The Duke and Dutchess of Weimar — 
Results of the Battle of Jena — Napoleon at Berlin — Occupa- 
tion oj Hamburgh, Bremen, and the Hanse Toxons — The Berlin 
Decree — Recapitulation of the Successes of tJie Campaign — Na- 
poleoji's Arrii'al at Posen and Warsaw — Battle of Pultusk 

Between the 12th and 15th of February, this 
year, the Frend) army made its entrance into the 
king'dom of Naples : the Russians, who came to tho 
assistance of the queen, were under General Lascy; 
— when, to a^r^rravate the violation of the treaty 
concluded Tviih Ns,uoleon orily two months befora 



I MEMOIRS OP ri806 

the court of the Two Sicilies confided the city of 
Naples to a garrison of eighteen hundred English 
Upon this the F.-ench ambassador took down the 
arms of France from the gates of his palace, and, 
demanding his passports, retired to Rome. But the 
Russians did not await the attack of the French, 
as an order arrived from the emperor Alexander 
for them to re-embark without delay, and t ) remain 
in the Ionian Islands till further orders. 

Gaeta., added to its natural strength, was com- 
nanded by the prince of Hesse Philipstadt, an 
old soldier, a German by birth, and strongly at* 
tached to the Bourbons. The siege was con- 
sequently protracted a considerable time. The 
surrender of Gaeta, on the 17th of July, set a.X 
liberty sixteen thousand of the besieging army. 

The zeal, real or pretended, with which the Nea- 
politans received the new king imposed upon them 
by Napoleon, soon began to cool in a very sensible 
degree. The principal places at court were given 
to the French ; the imposts had not been lowered ; 
arbitrary contributions were imposed ; these, with 
the luxury of the new court, the affluence of 
Naples, and a crowd of French and Italians, who 
came there to mend their fortunes, were the causes 
of discontent. The Calabrians bore the French 
yoke with the greatest degree of impatience, and 
were evidently preparing for an insurrection. Ac- 
cordingly, in a council held at Palermo, at which 
the English commandants by sea and land were 
present, a descent in Calabria v/as resolved upon 

On the 1st of July, 1806, a fleet from Palermo 
made sail towards Stromboli, and afterwards disem- 
oarked troops opposite St. Euphemia. These con 
sigted of six thousaiid British, and thrae thousand 



I806.J NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 5 

Neapolitans, who were to be joined by four thou- 
sand insurgents. This army was commanded bj 
the English general Stuart. General Reynier 
Jeft in Calabria by King Joseph to govern that prov 
ince, hastened, on tLe first arrival of Ibis inte] 
Ugence, to collect all the disposable troops that 
could bo spared. The division under his orders 
was composed of the first and twenty-third regi- 
ments of light infantry, the forty-second of the 
line, two battalions of the first Swiss regiment, the 
ninth of the horse chasseurs, and a battery of horse 
artillery. On the 3d of July, the French advanced 
guard was in presence of the Anglo-Neapolitan 
army in bivouac at the foot of the hill upon which 
St. Euphemia is built ; its left was supported by 
this little town, and its right by the sea. The 
French division passed the night of the 3d of July 
in the woods of Fundaco del Fico. 

General Stuart formed the order of battle in a 
parallel line with the shore ; his right was supported 
by the mouth of the river I'Amato. General Rey- 
nier then gave orders to General Compere, who 
commanded the advanced guard, to cross the Amato 
under the protection of some companies of volti- 
geurs, who cleared the little wood and the bushes 
upon the right bank ; but the numerous tiralleurs, 
tliat the enemy sent towards this point, repulsed the 
French voltigeurs before General Compere could 
form his brigade. The whole of the English lire 
moving forward at this instant, they engaged in a 
cannonade and a warm discharge of musketry, 
which did considerable execution in the French 
brigade, still suffering by the disorder occasioned 
by a precipitate formation. In a few minutes they 
had from six to seven hundred men killed and 
1* 



h MEMOlfvS OF [1806 

wounded. General Compere, rallying his troopa 
had an arm broken by a cannon ball. Unfortunate- 
ly, the greatest part of the division was still at too 
great a distance to remedy this first check, and the 
retrograde movement of the advanced guard 
threw the rest of the troops passing the Araato 
into confusion. The twenty-third regiment of light 
infantry alone had the firmness to arrest the prog- 
ress of the enemy, and cover the retreat of the 
division to^ Catanzaro, through the valley of the 
Amato. This affair, in the English annals, w^ag 
called the battle of Maida. 

The English, being arrested in their progress by 
the intrepidity of the twenty-third under Colonel 
Abb6, did not persist in following the French, 
because they thought their victory would be im- 
proved by the exasperation of the Calabrian insur- 
gents. But the French had still a sufficient force 
to cope with the latter, though twelve thousand of 
thom had blocked up General Reynier in Catanzaro 
for some time. 

General Stuart, after embarking his wounded 
and prisoners, began his march to Maida on the 8th 
of July. 

The forts of Scylla and Reggio were soon after 
surrendered to the English. Strongoli, having re- 
fused to furnish General Reynier with provisionOj 
was carried by assault, and pillaged and burnt. 

Amongst the trcops under General Reynier were 
two Swiss battalio.is ; from their red uniforms, the 
insurgents understood them to be English. Aftei 
Reynier had arrived at Cassano, where he had 
formed an intrenched camp, these Swiss were one 
Bight sent out, and ordered to make a considerable 
lietour for the purpose of deceiving the insur 



|81)G,] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 

genv<. Arriving before a village about day-break, 
a body of the former, seeing them proceed without 
making any show of hostility, and dece ved by 
their red uniforms, made no doubt that they v ere 
English, that had been disembarked during the 
tiight, and, approaching them with shouts of ^,oy, 
■vere received by a dreadful fire of musketry, and 
immediately charged with the bayonet, by which 
they lost nearly 1000 men: and the Swiss returned 
to the French camp with two white flags, and 
.oaded with the spoils of the enemy. 

Notwithstanding these successes, frequently at- 
tended with dreadful reprisals, the defeat of the 
insurgents in a great measure only seemed to call 
up more combatants. 

During this time, the English thinking the French 
sufficiently engaged with the insurgents. General 
Stuart embarked for Sicily on the 5th of Septem- 
ber. On the 16th of the same month, Sir Sidney 
Smith, mortified by his bad success against the Islr> 
of Procida, set sail with the flotilla under his orders 
for Messina. 

Such was the situation of the kingdom of Naples 
towards the end of 1806. 

We have previously noticed the symptoms of 
hostility ready to break out between France and 
Prussia. Nothing but the irresolution of Frederick 
William retarded this event. The attractions that 
tlie possession of Hanover offered to this prince, 
seemed to have been the only cause of slackness in 
his preparations. The misunderstanding excited 
between the cabinets of London and Berlin, was 
evident in the public acts of the month of March, 
1806, w^hen the king of England declared by hia 
{ainister, that he could not acquiesce in the cessioi? 
R 



8 MEMOIRS OF [180f 

of his electoral estates : however, the Prussiaa^ 
still continued to occupy the fortress of Hameln eu 
the 26th, and a few days after the king of Prussia 
published an edict, according to which, the shutting 
of his ports against the English was authorized in 
the same manner as had been practised whilst Han- 
over was occupied by the French. 

The king of Sweden, immoveable in his affection 
for the English, and irritated by the proceedings of 
Frederick William, gave vent to his feelings in 
menaces and complaints ; but did not wish to try 
the chances of war with a power so formidable as 
Prussia ; he therefore concentrated in Pomerania 
that army which he intended should take part in 
the operations of the coalition lately dissolved by 
the treaty of Presburg, and only left some detach- 
ments in Lauenberg, which country his treaties 
with England obliged him to defend. In the begin- 
ning of April, the ports of Embden and East 
Friezeland were added to those that had been pre- 
viously shut against the English. The civil occu- 
pation of Hanover was completed at the same time ; 
the authorities being called upon to take an oath of 
fealty to the sovereign, whilst the Prussians as- 
sumed a hostile aspect towards the Swedes, as if 
they meant to compel them to evacuate Lauenberg. 
This ended in an open rupture, and the evacuation 
of Pomerania by the Swedes, after an action fought 
on the 27th of April, and embargoes mutually laid 
on the shipping of both these powers. Still the 
forbearance of England towards Prussia, and of 
Prussia towards England, led politicians to believe 
that both powers were acting in concert to deceive 
Napoleon, and to give the king of Prussia time to 
put his army upon the most respectaWe footing 



1806.] NAPOLEON BONAPAllTE. 

Though it might have been expected that thi 
generous treatment, which the emperor Alexandei 
had leceived after the battle of Austerlitz, would 
have inspired him with pacific sentiments, the Riis* 
sian army had scarcely got out of its critical situa- 
tion in Moravia, scarcely had the Russian generals 
and the emperor's guards been sent home without 
being exchanged, when orders were given to the 
Russian troops to occupy the mouths of the Catta- 
ro> upon the coasts of the ancient Venetian Albany 
ceded by Austria to France, from whence the Rus- 
siaius were afterwards driven, as also out of Dalma- 
tia. But to strengthen Napoleon against all these 
new combinations, Louis Bonaparte, as king of 
Holland, was called upon to act in concert with the 
new " Confederation of the Rhine," which de- 
tached almost all the German princes from the em- 
peror of Germany, and placed them as tributaries 
and vassals under the power of Napoleon. This 
treaty of the Rhenish confederation was signed at 
Paris on July 12, 1806. About this time a treaty 
of peace, negotiated between the Russian counsel- 
lor of state, M. D'Oubril, and General Clarke on 
the part of France, was disowned by the emperor 
Alexander, on the ground of that minister's going 
beyond his instructions. Other negotiations be- 
tween Lord Lauderdale and the French govern- 
ment shared a similar fate. Prussia, too, appeared 
most seriously inclined to make use of <he weapons 
against France which she seemed to ha\ e been pre- 
paring against Sweden. Sweden was devoted to 
Ruscia, and Prussia was scld to England. 

Notwithstanding the protestations tnat the Prus 
gian governjnent renewed almost daily through its 
irsinister at Paris, towards the middJo o' August 



10 MEMOIRS OF nSOl! 

her preparations assumed such a dociiedcharactei 
that their real object could be no longer concealed 
Ab-iut the same time, Napoleon took possession of 
the fortress of Wesel, near the Rhine, which was 
one of the grievances alleged. 

On the 21st of September, the emperor NapoleoE 
wrote to the princes of the confederation of the 
Rhine, to furnish their contingent troops for his 
army, which was complied with, according to trea- 
ty. On the 25th, Napoleon quitted his imperial 
residence, to place himself at the head of his 
array, and arrived at Mayence on the 28th, and on 
the 1st of October he passed the Rhine. Whilst 
here, it seems he received the Prussian ultimatum, 
delivered by General Knobelsdorf, and transmitted 
to Napoleon from Paris. In this he was called 
upon to renounce the kingdoms of Holland and 
Italy, and threatened with the displeasure of Prus- 
sia, if his troops were not withdrawn from Germa- 
ny, and made to cross the Rhine. 

Napoleon could not finish reading the document 
that conveyed these demands, but threw it down 
with contempt. Alluding to the king of Prussia, 
he exclaimed, " Does he think himself in Cham- 
pagne ? Does he want to give us a new edition of 
his manifesto ? What ! does he pretend to mark 
out a route for our march back ? Really, I pity Prus- 
sia. I feel for William. He is not aware what 
rhapsodies he is made to write. This is too ridicu- 
lous. Berthier, they wish to give us a rendezvous 
of honour for the 8th ; a beauteous queen will be 
witness to the combat. Come, let us march on, 
and show our courtesy. We will not halt till we 
enter Saxcny " 



*806.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 1| 

The e nperor quitted Bamberg on the 81 h of Oc- 
tober, at three in the morning, and arrived on th« 
same morning at Kronach. The Prussians occu- 
p-^ed Schleitz, where General Tauenzien had six 
thousand Prussians and three thousand Saxons: on 
the 9th they were there charged and routed, and a 
thousand prisoners taken. After this success, the 
French were soon in possession of the A^hole course 
of the Saale. The duke of Brunswick had calcu- 
lated upon coming up with the French army upon 
the Maine, occupying their wings by detached 
corps, and upon penetrating their centre before 
they could concentrate their forces. But whilst 
the duke of Brunswick made certain that the 
French would debouch by Koenigshaften, it ap- 
pea"ed their movements on his centre were mere 
ly a ruse de guerre, made to mislead him, and to 
prevent him from debouching by the forests of 
Thuringen, whilst they proceeded towards Cobourg 
and Memmingen, through woody and mountainous 
countries, where the Prussian cavalry would be 
sure to be crippled in their operations. As it wels 
of the utmost importance to anticipate the French 
the duke of Brunswick hurried to Koenigshaften. 

Napoleon marched on Schleitz with the firsi 
corps sixty leagues from the presumed point of at 
tack. The third corps remained quietly at Naum 
burg in the rear of the duke : hostilities had beei 
commenced only two days, when that prince, al 
ready uncovered on his left, found his communica 
tions with tho Elbe in danger. 

On the 10th of October, near Saalfeld, the divis 
ion under the orders of General Suchett fell in 
with the Prussian advanced guard under Princg 
Hohenlohe, commanded by Prince Frederick Chris 



12 MEMOIRS Of (1806 

tian Louis of Prussia, char^^ed with defending thia 
post and the bridge over the Saale. A cannonade 
commenced, and was continued nearly two hours. 
A brigade of hussars, part of the French advanced 
guard, charged and overthrew the enemy's cavalry ; 
then, advancing at a charging pace, they tlirew the 
Prussian infantry into disorder ; these were partly 
driven into the marshes, and partly dispersed in the 
woods. 

The duke of Brunswick's advanced guard, on ar- 
riving on the Maine, found no enemy ! He retraced 
his steps in haste, and the duke of Saxe-Weimar 
and Prince Hohenlohe were called upon to move, 
A'hilst the army of reserve made a forced march. 
Some of these mistook their route, and others did 
not use sufficient despatch, whilst the duke, discon- 
certed by a system of movements so new to him, 
knew not what course to adopt. Seeing his left 
wing about to be turned, he hastily rallied his army 
of reserve, advancing upon Halle, and left Prince 
Hohenlohe at Capellendorf to mask the retrograde 
movement. The duke recovered his confidence. 
On the road to Jena he found not more than thirty 
chasseurs stragglers. He thought it was not easy 
to surprise a skilful manoBUvrer like himself. Ho- 
aenlohe's corps were encamped behind the heights 
of Jena ; their masses extended beyond Weimar, 
and as far as the eye could reach. Napoleon re- 
connoitred them on the evening of the 13th, and 
fixed upon the following day for the attack. In tlie 
night he issued orders for the movements of the 
different corps. " Davoust," he is reported to have 
ijaid, " must march on Apolda, so as to fall on the 
rear of the enemy's army : he may take what route 
he may think most expedient. If Bernadotte be a 



iSOG.j NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 1% 

hand, he may support him," In the meanwhile the 
duke of Brunswick flattered himself that the 
French could not debouch ; but the axes of their 
pioneers removed every obstacle, and during the 
night a rock was cut through, and a passage made 
for the French artillery. 

The battle commenced on the right and left ; the 
conflict was terrible. Davoust, in particular, was 
placed in a situation sufficient to try a man of the 
most determined courage and firmness. Berna- 
dotte refused to support him. He paraded round 
Apolda, while 26,000 French troops were engaged 
with 60,000 picked men, commanded by the duke 
of Brunswick and the king of Prussia. 

In fact, it appears from Napoleon's own Memoirs 
that " the conduct of Bernadotte at Jena was such 
that the emperor had signed the decree for bring- 
ing him before a council of war, and he would 
inevitably have been shot, so general was the in- 
dignation of the army against him. It was out of 
regard for his wife, that tlie emperor destroyed the 
order at the moment he was about to put it into 
>he hands of the prince of Neufchatel. Bernadotte 
commandea '.he first corps, of about 18,000 men; 
he arrived at Naumburg, in the rear of Marshal 
Davoust, who commanded the third corps, of otbout 
30,000, to defend the defile of Koaen, and the 
field of battle at Averstadt. Half Davoust's corps 
had already passed the Saale, when Bernadotte ar- 
rived, and offered to head the column, upon the 
foolish pretext that his corps was No. 1. Davoust 
with reason, opposed this, representing that it woula 
occasion the loss of valuable time, and would con- 
fuse the troops in a defi!e, v/hich v/ould be produc 

VOL Ti. 2 



A MERIOIRS OF I iSOfe 

live of rr.ucli mischief. Bernadotte then raised hia 
camp, and marched towards Dornburg : at brea's 
of day he passed the Saale there. Precisely at 
tills time Davoust was attacked by the king- of 
Prrissia, at the head of 60,000 of his best troops. 
He then felt severely the loss of the corps under 
Bernadotte. At Dornburg this marshal had still 
an opportunity of retrieving his error, by falling 
upon the rear of the Prussian army; but he con- 
tented himself with parading his troops, without 
firing a shot : the generals, officers, and soldiers, 
evinced the bitterness of their indignation in loud 
accusations of treason." 

However, the route of the Prussians was com- 
plete. At night the wreck of their army was pur- 
sued ; some Saxon battalions were taken, and the 
French entered pile mele with them into Weimar. 

The ardour of the troops in general on this im- 
portant day was such, that some corps, which cir- 
cumstances prevented from taking part in the 
engagement, loudly expressed their dissatisfaction. 
One of these traits sufficiently characterize the 
soldiers, and the emperor under whose eyes they 
fought. Early in the battle of Jena, whilst the 
French cavalry were anxiously expected, Napoleon, 
seeing his wings in a state of agitation, being 
threatened by the enemy's cavalry, set off at full 
gallop to direct the manoeuvres, and change the 
front into squares. The infantry of the imperial 
guard seeing all the rest of the troops engaged, 
whilst the emperor left them in inaction, many 
voices were heard crying, Fonvard! " Who is that ?' 
said the emperor, smartly, and presenting himself 
in the front of the battalions. — " This is some 
beardless young man, who wishes to anticipate 



1806] WAPOLEON BONAPARTE. IB 

what I intend to do. Let him wait till he baa 
commaaded in thirty pitched battles, before he pre- 
tend to give me advice." 

The emperor established his head-quarters al 
Weimar. The datchess of Weimar, daughter of 
the landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, preserved the 
noble pride of the ancient Germans. When all 
the persons of her family saved themselves at 
Brunswick, vi^here the unhappy issue of the battle 
of Jena was already known, she had the courage 
to shut herself up with her ladies of honour in her 
chateau at Weimar. The state apartments were 
prepared for Bonaparte. When he arrived at the 
castle, some days after, the dutchess, having quitted 
her apartment, placed herself at the head of the 
grand staircase, and received him with all suitable 
respect. " Who are you?" said he, drawing 
back. — " I am the dutchess of Weimar." — " I pity 
you," replied he ; "I will crush your husband. 
Let me dine in my own apartments." Afterwards 
he passed hastily by her. The night was passed 
in disorder and tumult. The unhappy dutchess 
heard the distressing cries of her people, but could 
not assist them. However, early in the morning, 
she had the presence of mind to send one of her 
cJiamberlains to inquire after the health of his ma- 
jesty, and to requ'3st an audience. This step, suit- 
able to the ceremony of courts, put Napoleon in 
mind of his quality as emperor, and also, in that 
respect, of the duty due from him to a sovereign 
princess. He sent a polite answer, and invited 
nimself to breakfast with the dutchess. Scarce 
aad he entered the apartment, ere he began with 
•lis usual vivacity to question the dutchess: "How 
sfuld your husband be such a fool as to make wal 



16 MEMOIRS OF [1806 

3n me ?" — " Your majesty v/ould have despised hira, 
if he had not ;" was the noble answer of the prin 
cess. — *' How so ? " — The dutchess solemnly and 
gravely replied, " My husband has been in the 
service of the king of Prussia these thirty years, 
and certainly it was not a time for my husband 
with honour to quit him, at the m.oment he had so 
able and powerful an enemy as your majesty to 
contend with." This admirable reply, as full of 
dignity as address, made a deep impression on 
Bonaparte ; his features relaxed, and he continued 
questioning in a milder manner. At length, Na- 
poleon said, " Madam, you have saved your hus- 
band. You are the most respectable lady I ever 
knew." Afterwards, repeating his expressions of 
respect, he added, in an insolent manner, " I par- 
don him, but solely on your account ; he himself is 
but an indifferent subject." The princess maed no 
reply : as a good mother she remem.bered she waa 
surrounded by unhappy children, for whom it be- 
came her far better to intercede ; she did so, and 
succeeded ; for she obtained of the conqueror his 
promise to spare the inhabitants of her dutchy : and 
Napoleon acknowledged she was an amiable and 
sensible woman, and of dignified manners. 

Napoleon confessed that, in the night before the 
battle of Jena, he had been exposed to the most 
imminent danger. He might have disappeared 
ihen, without any one clearly knowing his fate. 
He had approached the bivouacs of the Prussians- 
in the dark, to reconnoitre them, having only a few 
officers about his person. The French army waa 
almost every where on the alert, from the persua- 
sion that the Prussians were strongly addicted to 
'socturral attacks. Returning from this party the 



r806 J 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



i^ 



emperor was fired at by the first sentinel of his 
own camp, which proved a signal for the whok 
line ; and Napoleon had no resource but to throw 
himself flat on his face till the mistake was dis- 
covered. His principal apprehension, however, waa 
nc/: realized ; he feared that the Prussian line, 
which was very near him, would have acted in the 
same manner. 

Whilst the French were following- up theii 
advantages, the Prussians were rallying their scat- 
tered forces at Magdeburg. The duke of Wir- 
temburg, one of their generals, had already taken 
a position at Halle, and Bernadotte was marching 
upon him. He attacked the Prussians with the 
bayonet, killing and routing all that dared to op- 
pose him. 

Arrivir.g at Dessau, Napoleon treated the old 
duke and his son with much consideration. In the 
meanwhile the Prussians, flying towards Magde- 
burg, took refuge behind the intrenchments, where 
they were soon compelled to lay down their arms. 
The king himself narrowly escaped being taken. 
All the French corps were marching towards Ber- 
'in ; but the honour of taking possession of that 
city, Napoleon had reserved for Davoust's corps, 
which had contributed so much to the victory at 
Jena. On the way to Potzdam, the troops were 
overtaken by such a violent storm, that Napoleon 
though wrapped in his gray military great coat 
was obliged to enter a house, where he was as 
tonished to see a j^oung female, a native of Egypt 
who was much agitated at his presence, bestowing 
upon him the same religious veneration which he 
had beei/ accustomed to receive from the Arabs 
She was the widow of an officer in the army n 
2* 



18 MEMOIRS OP [180(f 

Jhe East, and had a son, for whom Napoleon un 
iertoot to provide, and granted her a pension ot 
1200 francs. " This," said Napoleon, "was the firsi 
time I ever took shelter against a storm, and I felt 
1, presentiment that a good action awaited me." 

The court had fled with such precipitation fiGin 
P3tzdam, that nothing had been carried away. 
Even the sword of Frederick the Great, the belt, 
and the cordon of his orders, were left here. Na- 
poleon, taking possession of these, said, " I prefer 
these trophies to all the king of Prussia's treas- 
ures. I will send them to my veterans who 
served in the campaign of Hanover. I will present 
them to the governor of the Hospital of the Inva- 
lids, who will preserve them as a testimony of the 
victories of the army, and the revenge it has 
taken for the disasters of Rosbach." 

After having visited, with religious veneration, 
the vault where the remains of the Great Freder- 
ick were deposited, he found them in a coffin of 
cedar, covered with copper, without ornament, 
trophy, or any inscription that might recall the feats 
that immortalize the name of this royal warrior. 

Envoys soon arrived at Berlin from all the courtd 
of Germany, petitioning Napoleon to show favour 
o their respective princes ; but he would not hear 
ihe name of the duke of Weimar mentioned, being 
as indignant against him as he was favourably dis- 
posed towards the dutchess, whom he styled hia 
cousin — a distinction which was then of no small 
importance. The elector of Hesse, also, wished to 
treat ; but Napoleon was so much offended with 
aim, that he would not receive his envoy. " As tfl 
aim," said he, " his reign is ended." 



1806/ 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



19 



The results of the termination of the battle of 
Jena were many, and of mrrh importance to Na- 
poleon. The Oder was crossed without loss of 
time. Marshal Davoust's corps, having suffered the 
most in these movements, was ordered to occupy 
Naumburg-, Freyburg, and the heights between 
these places, to give his troops a day's rest, upon 
tliO left bank of the Unstruth. It would be diffi- 
cult to paint the terror into which the grand catas- 
trophe at Jena had thrown both the soldiers and 
the inhabitants of the country Nothing could 
place the general alarm in a stronger point of 
view, than the phrase- inserted in the Berlin Gazette 
on the following day : " The royal army has been 
defeated at Awerstadt ; but the king and his bro 
thers are alive." In fact, after this disaster, no 
more hope remained for the Prussian government. 
Every place, the capital not excepted, had opened 
its gates to the victorious army ; five days had in a 
manner decided the fate of the monarchy, found- 
ed and augmented by the sword, and lately so 
Nourishing. 

The king of Prussia, who for a short time had 
taken refuge at Magdeburg, escaped from the 
place, by breaking through the weak cordon with 
which it had been at first invested. Marshal Ney 
having completed the blockade, the Prussian offi- 
cers, so arrogant at the commencement of the 
campaign, were now mucli changed. They loudly 
solicited for peace. Several generals, and espe- 
cially Prince Hohenlohe, said to General Belliard, 
during an interview with the governor of Magde- 
burg, " What does your emperor want ? Will he 
continually pursue us with the sword in our loins ? 
We have not had a moment's repose since the b^t 



20 MEMOIRS OF [1806 

tie of Jei a." They had solicited a truce for three 
days to bury the dead ; to which the emperor an- 
swered, "Let them think of the living; we will 
bury the dead ; there is no need of a truce fcr that." 

Napoleon quitted Potzdam for Berlin, where he 
made his public entrance on the 27th of October. 
l^lie magnificent appearance of this capital on its 
first view, and about Charlottenburg, and passing 
through the gate of the same name, added splen- 
dour to the triumph of the French monarch. The 
public tranquillity was so well secured, that the in- 
habitants of Berlin could scarcely perceive that 
their city was occupied by foreign troops. Things 
went on in their ordinary way ; the play-houses 
were open, as in the time of profound peace ; and 
the French actors represented the exploits of the 
grand army ; but, with that delicacy so peculiar to 
the nation, the subjects they adopted for the stage 
were not connected with the history or the affairs 
of Prussia. 

In October, 1806, the eighth corps of the grand 
army marched towards Hanover and Hamburgh, to 
shut the rivers Elbe and Weser against the Eng- 
lish. Hameln and Nieraberg soon capitulated, 
which example was followed by Hamburgh and 
Bremen ; and thus the French for a time became 
masters of all the Hanseatic Towns, and the rivers 
that run into the North Sea and the Baltic. 

The war with Prussia in this quarter was now 
terminated. Of a hundred and fifty thousand men 
that had formed the enemy's grand army, seven 
eighths had been killed, wounded, or made prisoners. 
A.bout twenty thousand men, infantry and :javalry 
remained to King Frederick William, shut up in 
Glogau, Breslau, Brieg, Kcenigsberg, and other 



i8oe.] 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



places m Silesia and the dutchy of Warsaw. The 
king, the queen, the chanceries, and some generals, 
had sought an asylum in Koenigsberg, the capital of 
Eastern Prussia, and this brought about the pro- 
posals for an armistice on the part of Prussia 
which Russia would not permit her to conclude. 
It was whilst waiting for the ratification of this 
armistice on the part of Prussia, that Napoleon is- 
sued from his palace at Berlin that famous decree, 
that was to place the British islands in a state of 
blockade, and to serve as the basis of a continental 
system, the principal object of which was the hu 
miliation of the naval power of England. 

By way of recapitulating the extraordinary suc- 
cesses of this short campaign, it may be necessary 
to recollect, that the first affair between the French 
and the Prussians took place at Schleitz on the 9th 
of October ; that of Saalfeld was on the 10th. 
The battle of Jena was fought on the 14th. Er- 
furt capitulated on the 16th. On the 17th, Napo- 
leon was at Weimar ; on the 18th, the prince of 
Wirtemburg was beaten at Halle ; on the 24th, the 
emperor arrived at Potzdam ; Spandau capitulated 
next day. In the affair of Zehdenick, on the 26th, 
six thousand Prussian cavalry were defeated by the 
grand duke of Berg ; on the 28th, Prince Augus- 
tus and Prince Hohenlohe were defeated and made 
prisoners at Prentzlow. Stettin was taken on the 
29th of October ; and on the 1st of November, 
Marshal Mortier seized on Hesse Cassel. On the 
^th, Lubeck was taken, and Blucher capitulated at 
Shwartow, with 21,000 men. Magdeburg surren- 
dered on the 8th ; Posen was taken by Marshal Da- 
V'oust on the 10th ; Hameln in Hanover capitulated 
»n the 20th ; and Niemburg four days af^er. Ham 



22 



MEMOIRS OF 



1806 



burgh, Bremen, &c. were occupied by French troops 
preparatory to the issuing of the Berlin decree. 

Napoleon left Berlin on the 25th of November 
1806, and arrived at Posen on the 27th, and the 
next day gave audience to several deputations from 
'he Poles. The grand duke of Berg, with a pan 
of the cavalry of the reserve, and the corps under 
Marshals Davoust, Lannes, and Augereau, entered 
Warsaa' on the 28th and 29th. The Russian gen- 
eral Bennigsen, who occupied the city, evacuated 
it on hearing of the approach of the French ^ 
Prince Jerome, with a corps of Bavarians, was at 
Kalitch, and all the rest of the army at Posen. 
Previous to the entrance of the French into War- 
saw, some smart skirmishing had taken place be- 
tVk'een the French and Russian advanced guards, 
and the former made a number of prisoners. The 
Russians retreated over the Vistula, and burnt the 
bridge after they had passed. 

The unfortunate but brave Poles, on contemplat- 
ing the French, fancied they beheld the legions of 
the great Sobieski returning from a military expe- 
dition ; but Napoleon could not make them a posi- 
tive promise of their restoration as a kingdon : his 
ohservation on the subject was, "that if the match 
should once be lighted, there was no knowing how 
long it might continue to burn." Napoleon arrived 
at Warsaw on the 19th, where he remained till the 
23d Several corps had been already pushed ovei 
the Vistula, the Narew, and the Bug ; redoubts, 
bridges, and tetes-de-pont, had been formed, and 
the Russian detachments were repulsed wherever 
tney presented themselves. 

The battle of Pultusk, on the 26th of December 
-vhich General Bennigsen represented to his sove 



180G.] NAPOLEON BOrC.'iPARTK. 2S 

reign as a victory obtained over a part of the 
French a ;my, and which was celebrated as such by 
the Russ.an clergy in all the churches, certainly 
was in effect one of the rudest shocks the French 
had sustained since their entrance into Poland, 
where their infantry felt the need of all their intre- 
pidity to preserve their superiority over the Rus- 
sians, who had never behaved better than on this 
occasion. The cavalry conducted themselves with 
equal bravery. 

During these proceedings. Marshal Soult marched 
towards Makow, to cut off the retreat of the 
enemy's columns, but the wretchedness of the 
roads and the weather saved the Russian arm}; 
from an entire defeat. They nevertheless lost 
eighty pieces of artillery, twelve hundred carriages, 
and from ten to twelve thousand men killed, wound- 
ed, and made prisoners. The rest retreated te 
Ostroieaka. 



<24 



MEMOIRS OP 



flSO'' 



CHAPTER II. 

'Ipirations in Silesia — Napoleon^s generous Trejin.ml of i/n 
Saxon Princes — Swedish Pomerania inmdtd by Mirshil Mor- 
tier — Line cf Defence upon the Vistula — Battte of Mohringen 
— The Russians driven from Bergfried — Affairs at Deppen 
and Wattendorf— Defeat of the Prussian General Lestocq- 
Hof carried — Battle of Eylau — Defeat of the Russians at Os 
trolenka — Surrender of Schweidnitz and Glatz — Siwcess oj 
Mortier in Pomerania — Affair of Braunsherg — Investment oj 
Colter g and Dantzick — Battle of Friedland— Meeting of tlie 
two Emperors upon the Raft — Arrival of tlie King and Queen 
of Prussia at Tilsit — Anecdotes — Treaties at Tilsit — Marshal 
Prune enters Swedish Pomera^iia — Napoleon^s Entry into 
Frankfort — Arrival at Fari& - The Frerwh invade Portugal. 

Such had been the success of the French dur- 
ing- the short campaigns of 1806, that, including 
ail the Prussian garrisons in Silesia, in Dantzick. 
&c., not more than seventeen thousand men re- 
mained. Still, though hostilities had ceased in 
Poland at the end of 1806, they were continued in 
Silesia with activity. Plassenberg, near Culmbach 
upon the Maine, in Franconia, soon surrendered 
with a garrison of six hundred troops of the line 
besides invalids. Glogau was the next place 
mvested, and the conduct of the siege left to Gen 
eral Vandamme, which place capitulated with twc 
thousand five hundred troops. General Vandamme 
was next ordered to invest Bieslau ; but, being 
much stronger then the French conceived t to be. 
the place was not surrendered till the 5th of Jan- 
uary, 1807. 

It should have been observed, tl at, eight days 
after the battle of Jena, Napoleon having gener 



IS07.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 25 

ously sent home the Saxon prisoners serving uulei 
the Prussians, he granted a cessation of all hostili- 
ties against the elector Frederick Augustus, but 
placed French commandants at Dresden, and every 
other place of importance in Saxony, till the ccn- 
clusion of a definitive peace, which was signed at 
Posen on the 11th of December, when the elector 
was admitted into the confederation of the Rhine 
and received the title of king, with the prospect of 
an increase of power. The ducal house of Saxony 
was not less fortunate, though every branch of it 
excepting that of Gotha, had taken an active part 
in the war against France. In fact, the prince of 
Saxe-Coburg, the reigning duke, and hereditary 
prince of Saxe-Weimar, furnished their contmgents 
of troops, and even served in the Prussian armies. 
Peace, however, was signed with these princes, 
and the dukes of Saxe-Memmingen and Hildburg 
hausen, at Posen, and all the princes of the ducal 
household were admitted into the confederation 
The emperor Napoleon was less generous to thie? 
other sovereign princes connected with Prussia 
The old duke of Brunswick died in the beginning 
of November, 1806, in a miserable village near Al 
tona, not far from the field of Rosbach, once so glo- 
rious for him : his death was occasioned less by 
his wounds, than vexation at seeing the Prussian 
monarchy overthrown in one day, and himself anc 
hia children deprived of their estates. George 
William, the elector of Hesse Cassel, and the 
prince of Nassau Fulda, were also deprived of 
their territories by the formal declaration of Napo. 
.eon. 

After the loss of Breslau, the following were the 
only places that remained to the king of Prussia 
» 03. .. 8 



26 



MEMOIRS OF 



[1807 



Schweidnitz, Neiss, Glatz, Kosel, Silberberg, and 
Brieg, in Silesia; Graudentz, KoBnigsberg-, Elbing 
Stargardl, Colberg, Memel, Dantzick, and the for 
trees of Weichselmunde, upon the Vistula and thr 
Baltic. Brieg surrendered on the 11th of Janua 
fy, and Schweidnitz was soon invested in form 
Swedish Pomerania was invaded by Mars.ial Mor 
tier, and Stralsund invested. The Swedish troops 
were driven from every place at which they made 
a stand; but General Victor, whom the emperor in- 
tended should cover the siege of Colberg, was 
made prisoner by a detachment of cavalry, but af 
terwards exchanged for General Blucher. 

The French had established a line of defence 
upon and beyond the Vistula, extending from War- 
saw to the Baltic Sea, and here they reposed al- 
most the whole of the month of December. To- 
wards the beginning of January, 1807, movements 
on both sides seemed to indicate more serious oper- 
ations. It appeared the Russians had adopted a 
vast plan of defence. ' Their generals seemed to 
have regained confidence, on seeing Napoleon stop 
in the midst of the advantages he had gained, and 
imputed that to fear, which in him arose from 
motives of prudence. They could not in.agine 
what other reason he could possibly have for ^oing 
into cantonments upon the Vistula. 

But upon the very first movement made by the 
Russian army, Napoleon, having partly anticipated 
their plan of attack, ordered Eernadotte to fall 
back, to encourage the enemy in the prosecution 
of his designs. This movement had the desired 
effect ; and on the 25th of January, Bernadotte had 
orders to proceed with the division of Genera. 
Drouei to Mohringen, where? he fell in with Ui«» 



1807.] 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



27 



Russians, attacking Genera] Pacthod in his poai- 
tion. The action soon became general, and termi- 
nated gloriously. The loss of the Russians was 
considerable ; that of the French was from two to 
three hundred killed and wounded. Bernadotte 
had orders to continue his retrograde movement to 
Thorn, to draw the Russians nearer the Vistula; 
but the officer who carried these orders being 
taken by the Cossacks, the Russian general avoided 
the snare laid for him. 

Bergfried being attacked by Marshal Soult on 
the 3d of February, the Russians retired to Lieb- 
stadt. The next day there was another affair near 
the village of Deppen ; and on the 5th the whole 
of the French army was re-united there. Upon 
the heights of Watterdorf, beyond Deppen, the 
grand duke of Berg found eight or nine thousand 
cavalry ; he ordered several charges, and compelled 
the enemy to retreat. Marshal Ney overtook a 
Prussian column, under General Lestocq, endea- 
vouring to effect a passage through Deppen. This 
general, who was completely routed, abandoned all 
his cannon and baggage, and two thousand prisoners 
fell into the hands of the victors. In consequence 
of these movements, the Russians lost a part of 
their line of communication, their depots at Lieb- 
stadt and Guttstadt, and their magazines upon the 
AUer. 

On the 6th of February, the rear guard of tht 
Russian army was attacked near, Hoff, and the vil- 
lage carried. The Russians continued their re- 
treat ; but on the 7th, at day-break, the French 
advanced-guard overtook them about a quarter of 
a league from Prussian Eylau, when a sanguinary 
engagement took place, especially with the Ruw 



28 



MEMOIRS OF 



[1807 



Bians who had been stationed in the church and 
church-yard of this place. At ten at night both 
these positions were carried, the town of Eylau 
taken, and the streets covered with dead bodies. 

At break of day, on the 8th, the Russian army, 
eighty thousand strong, appeared in columns within 
half cannon-shot of Eylau. A dreadful batile en 
sued, in wliich the French were victorious. 

Nine thousand dead were counted, two thirds of 
whom were Russians. The French had nearly six 
thousand wounded. On the 9th, at day-break, the 
grand duke of Berg pursued the enemy for the 
space of ten leagues without seeing a single de- 
tachment of cavalry. His guards took a position 
within half a league of Kosnigsberg. 

The Russians carried sixteen thousand wounded 
into Koenigsberg ; forty-five pieces of cannon re- 
mained with the French, and twelve thousand pria- 
oners, including those made on the days preceding 
this great battle. The French army remained on 
the field of battle nine days, it being determined to 
give the troops some repose. 

In the battles of Bergfried, Deppen, Hoff, and 
Eylau, the French took sixty-five pieces of cannon, 
sixteen standards, and killed, wounded, and made 
prisoners, 40,000 men. 

On the 16th of February, the Russian general 
Kssen was defeated at Ostrolenka by General Sa- 
t^ary, commanding the fifth corps, and pursued for 
several leagues. This corps was now ordered to 
resume its winter-quarters. About the beginning 
of J^ebruary, St hweidnitz surrendered. Glatz soon 
shared the same fate ; and the emperor ordered the 
fortifications of all the captured places in Silesia to 
be demolishsd. In the meanwhile Marshal Mortier 



1807.] 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



2S 



was equally successful in Swedish Pomerama 
The Russians that had retired behind the Preg-el, 
encouraged by the apparent inactivity of Napoleon, 
repassed that river with a part of their troops, and 
formed a line which extended from Koenigsberg to 
Seeburg, and pushed their advanced posts upon, 
the Aller and the Passarge, within sight of the 
French. On the 25th of February, a Russian di- 
vision, that had advanced to Braunsberg, was attack- 
ed by General Dupont, who defeated them, took 
sixteen pieces of cannon, and upwards of ten thou- 
sand prisoners ; drove them from the place, and 
compelled them to repass the Passarge. 

Much skirmishing occurred in the vicinity of this 
river, previous to the recommencement of the cam- 
paign in the beginning of April, during which time 
Colberg and Dantzick were completely invested : 
the latter city surrendered to Marshal Lefebvre 
on the 24th of May, and the fort of Weichsel- 
munde, near the mouth of the Vistula, two days 
after. Marshal Lefebvre was on this occasion 
created duke of Dantzick. The capture of Dant- 
zick was followed by the sanguinary affairs of 
Spanden, Lomitten, Deppen, Guttstadt, and Heils- 
berg. 

At length, on the 14th of June, the decisive bat- 
tle of Friedland only served to add to the trophies 
already obtained by the French. Fifteen thou- 
sand of the enemy's dead covered the field of bat- 
tle ; sevcnt/ pieces of cannon, a great number of 
caissons, many colours, and some thousands of pris- 
oners, were the trophies of this memorable day : 
the Russian cavalry had suffered an immense loss ; 
twenty-five generals, and a considerable number ol 
officers, were killed, wounded, or made prisoners 
3 5^ 



30 



MEMOIRS OF 



1801 



Owing to the position of the French, by which 
they wer9 in a great measure covered, their killed 
and wour.ded did not exceed six thousand ; Napo- 
leon on this occasion displayed that activity, and 
those great talents, that he had shown in the pre- 
ceding campaigns. During the battle he was seen 
riding to and from the most exposed positions, and 
the troops frequently observed with apprehension 
the balls that passed near him, or fell spent at his 
feet. 

After a succession of various military movementsj 
on the 19th of June, at two in the afternoon. Napo- 
leon entered Tilsit, where the emperor of Russia 
and the king of Prussia had been some days. In 
the environs of this town the French saw Kal- 
mucks for the first time. The arms of these Tar 
tars, tributary to Russia, are arrows only, which 
they discharge flying, like the ancient Parthians ; a 
circumstance which excited the laughter of the 
French soldiers, who did not conceive these Tar- 
tars to be very formidable adversaries. 
■ In this state of affairs, the emperor Alexander 
again thought proper to throw himself upon the 
moderation and generosity of Napoleon, by soliciting 
an armistice, which was granted, and followed 'ji 
the course of a few days by the celebrated meet- 
ing of the two emperors in a pavilion erected 
upon a raft, on the river Niemen, near Tilsit. 

This meeting of the two emperors was followed 
by the landing of both in Tilsit, where it was 
agieed the courts of Russia and Prussia should 
lake up their residence. Both the emperors, on 
horseback, talking familiarly, rode through the 
jaigh street of Tilsit, where the French imperial 
guard, lorse am foot, were drawn up, and when 



jsor.] 



NAPOLEON BOJN APART E. 



3i 



hy the effect of that gallantry poculiai to th» 
French, the cry of Vive Vempereur Alexandre re- 
sounded at the same time with that of Vive Vernpe- 
reur JVapoleon ! The two monarchs afterwards 
dined together, the grand duke Constantino and 
Murat being the only persons present at this repast. 

On the 27th, Napoleon returned the emperor 
Alexander's visit at his new residence. On the 
2Sth, the king of Prussia passed the Niemen, to 
occupy his new dwelling at Tilsit. He was re- 
ceived by Napoleon with all the consideration that 
could be expected, and the French monarch re- 
turned his visit on the same day. The palaces of 
the three sovereigns were near each other ; during 
their residence at Tilsit they had but one table, and 
that was furnished by Napoleon. 

The queen of Prussia, as remarkable for the 
graces of her person as by the active part she had 
taken in the war, came to embellish, by her pres- 
ence, this meeting of the three monarchs. 

The emperor, referring, many years after, to this 
meeting at Tilsit, remarked, that, had the queen of 
Prussia arrived at the commencement of the nego- 
tiations, she might have exercised considerable in- 
fluence with respect to the result. Happily, she 
arrived when they were sufficiently advanced to 
enable the emperor to decide upon their conclusion 
four-and-twenty hours afterwards. The king, it 
was thought, had prevented her early appearance, 
x consequence of a rising jealousy against a great 
peisonage, which was confidently stated, said the 
emperor, "not to have been destitute of some 
slight ground." 

The moment of her arrival the emperor paid hei 
a visit. " The queen of Prussia," said he, " has 



S2 



MEMOIRS OF 



l^ 



been very beautiful, but she was beginning to lose 
some of the charms of her youth." The emperoi 
declared, that the queen received him like Made- 
mcisolle Duchinios in the character of Climeno, 
thrown back into a grand attitude, calling aloud foi 
justice. In one word, it was altogether a theatri- 
cal scene ; the representation was truly trag'c. 
He was unable to speak for an instant, and thought 
the only way of extricating himself was that of 
bringing back the business to the tone of regular 
comedy, which he attempted, by presenting her 
with a chair, and gently forcing her to be seated 
She did not, however, discontinue the most pathetic 
expressions. " Prussia," she exclaimed, " had been 
blindfolded with respect to her power ; she had 
dared to contend with a hero ; to oppose herself to 
the destinies of France ; to neglect his auspicious 
friendship ; she was deservedly punished for it. 
The glory of the Great Frederick, his memory, and 
his inheritance, had puffed up the pride of Prussia, 
and had caused her ruin !" &c. &c. She solicited, 
supplicated, implored. Magdeburg, in particular, 
was the object of her efforts and wishes. The em- 
peror kept his ground as well as he could. For- 
tunately, the husband made his appearance. The 
|ueen reproved, with an expressive look, the un- 
leasonable interruption, and showed some pettish* 
ness. In fact, the king attempted to take part in 
the conversation, and spoiled the whole affair, and 
'' I was," said the emperor, " set at liberty." 

The emperor entertained the qu?en at dinner. 
Here, he said, she played off all her wit against 
him — -she had a great deal ; all her manners — which 
were very fascinating ; all her coquetry— she wag 
Ktot \\itl out charms. Determined not to yield Na 



1807.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 39 

poleon found it necessary to keep a great command 
Dver himself, that he might continue exempt from 
any kind of engagement, and every expression 
which might be taken in a doubtful sense, and the 
more so, because he was carefully watched, and 
especially by Alexander. 

An instant before dinner, Na^poleon took a very 
beautiful rose from a flower-stand, which he pre- 
sented to the queen. She at first expressed, by 
the motion of her hand, a kind of prepared refusal ; 
but, suddenly recollecting herself, she said, " Yes i 
bid at least ivith Magdeburg.''^ — The emperor re- 
plied, " But .... I shall observe to your majesty, 
that it is I who present, and you who are about to 
receive it." 

The queen was seated at table between the two 
emperors, who rivalled each other in their attention. 
She was placed near iliexander's best ear: (with 
one he could scarcely hear.) She retired in the 
evening. The em.peror Napoleon was now resolved 
to come to a point. He sent for M. de Talleyrand 
and Prince Kourakin ; talked big to them ; and, let- 
ting fly some hard words, observed, that, after all. 
a v/oman and a piece of gallantry ought not to al- 
ter a system conceived for the destiny of a great 
people, and that he insisted upon the immediate 
conclusion of the negotiations, and the signing 
of the treaty ; which took place according to his 
crder. 

" Thus," said he, " the queen of Prussia's con ■ 
"ersation advanced the treaty by a week or a fort- 
iglit. She was indignant when she heird that the 
'reaty was signed ; wept a great deal, and deter- 
miaed to see the emperor Napoleon no more 
-ilevande" was himself obliged to prevail upon bof 



34 



MEMOIRS OF 



[1807 



to accept a second invitation to dinner. She com- 
plained that Napoleon had broken his word. " He 
has made you no promise," was Alexander's obser- 
vation to her ; " if you can prove the contrary, 1 
here pledge myself, as between man and man, to 
make him keep his promise, and he will do so, I am 
convinced." — " But he has given me to under 
stand," said she, .... "No," replied Alexander, 
" and you have nothing to reproach him with." 

Napoleon, who had no longer any occasion to be 
on his guard against her, redoubled his attentions. 
She played off, for a few moments, the airs of an 
offended coquette, and when the dinner was over, 
and she was about to retire. Napoleon presented 
his handj and conducted her to the middle of the 
staircase, where he stopped. She squeezed his 
hand, and said with a kic^ of tenderness, " Is it 
possible, that, after having had the honour of being 
so near to the hero of the century, and of history, 
he will not leave me the power and satisfaction of 
being enabled to assure him, that he has attached 
me to him for life ?" — " Madam," replied the empe- 
ror, in a serious tone, " I am to be pitied ; it is the 
result of my unhappy stars." — He then took leave 
of her. When she reached her carriage, she 
threw herself into it in tears ; sent for Duroc, 
whom she highly esteemed, renewed all her com- 
plaints to him, and said, pointing to the palace, 
'* There is a place in which I have been cruelly 
deceived." 

'' The queen of Prussia," said the emperor, * waa 
unquestionably gifted with many happy resources ; 
she ponsessed a great deal of informt^tion, and had 
many excellent capabilities. It was she who 
really reigned for more than fifteen years.'' 



180T.} NAPOLEON BONAEARTE 39 

Napoleon reproached himself with a real fault 
in allowing the king of Prussia's presence at I'llsit 
His first detei:'mination was to prevent his coming 
He would then have been less bound to show an}? 
attention to his interests. He might have kept Si 
lesia, he might have aggrandized Saxony with it, 
and have probably reserved for himself another 
kind of destiny. He further remarked, " I iearn 
that the politicians of the present day find great 
fault with my treaty of Tilsit ; they have discovered 
that I had, by that means, placed Europe at the 
mercy of the Russians ; but if I had succeeded at 
Moscow, and it is now known how very near I was, 
fhey would no doubt have admired us for having, on 
the contrary, by that treaty, placed the Russians at 
the mercy of Europe. I entertained great designs 
with respect to the Germans .... But I failed, 
and therefore I was wrong. This is according to 
every rule of justice." 

Almost every day, at Tilsit, the two emperors 
and the king rode out on horseback totgether ; 
" but," said Napoleon, '' the latter was always awk- 
ward and unlucky." The Prussians felt it very 
visibly. Napoleon was always between the two 
sovereigns ; but either the king fell behind, or 
jostled and incommoded Napoleon. He showed 
the same awkwardness on his return : the two em- 
perors dismounted in an instant, and took each 
other by the hand, to go up stairs together. But 
as the honours were done by Napoleon, he could 
not enter without first seeing the king pass. I 
was sometimes necessary to wait a long time, and 
as the weather was often rainy, it happened tha^ 
the two emperors got wet on the king's account, U 
the ^rea- dissatisfaction of all the spectators 



S6 



MEMOIRS OP 



[180? 



"This av/kwardness," said the emperor, '" was 
the more glaring, as Alexander is in possession oi 
all the graces, and equal, in elegance of manners, 
to the most polished and amiable ornaments ol onr 
Parisian drawing-rooms. The latter was at times 
so tired of his companion, who seemed lost in nia 
own sorrows, or in some other cause that we mu- 
tually agreed on breaking up our conimon meetmg, 
to get rid of him. We separated immediately al- 
ter dinner, under the pretence of some particular 
business ; but Alexander and I met shortly after- 
wards, to take tea with one another, and we then 
continued in conversation until midnight, and even 
beyond it." 

Alexander and Napoleon met again some time 
after at Erfurt, and exchanged the most striking 
testimonies of affection. Alexander expressed, with 
earnestness, the sentiments of tender friendship 
and real admiration which he entertained for Na- 
poleon. They passed some days together in the 
enjoyment of the charms of perfect intimacy, and 
of the most familiar communications of private life. 
" We were," said the emperor, " two young men of 
quality, who, in their common pleasures, had no 
secret from each other." 

Peace, so anxiously desired, was concluded on 
the 9th of July. There were two separate trea- 
ties ; one between France and RuvSsia, and the other 
with Prussia. It was natural that P'rederick Wil- 
liam, who had provoked the war, should pay ih? 
whole expense. A part of the new kingdom ot 
Westphalia, by virtue of these treaties, was given 
to Prince Jerome, brother of Napoleon ; the dutchy 
of Warsaw was ceded to the ancient elector, Fred 
ricl? Augustus, then king of Saxony ; the city ot 



'>^><^7 i NAfOLEON BONAPARTE. 87 

Dantzick v/ith its territory was taken from the Prus- 
sian monarchy Russia, by the special grace of 
Napoleon, gained a portion or territory upon the 
borders of the Bug- and the Narew, and Vi-as thus 
aggrandized at the expense of that sovereign, in 
whose animosity against France she had parti- 
cipated. 

Besides these cessions of territory, the king of 
Prussia had to pay such enormous contributions, 
that his finances were exhausted ; and his provinces, 
m consequence of their long occupation by the 
French troops, were in a deplorable situation. 
Alexander and Frederick William solemnly ac 
knowledged the new kings of Naples, Holland 
and Westphalia. 

The king of Sweden having renewed his hostili- 
ty, the whole of Swedish Pomerania, Stralsund 
and the island of Rugen, were soon in the powei 
of the French under Marshal Brune. 

The emperor Napoleon quitted Tilsit about the 
middle of July for Warsaw, and went from thence 
to Dresden. On the 24th, he made his trmmphal 
entry into Frankfort, the capital of the states of 
the prince primate of the confederation of the 
Rhine ; and on the 27th, at five in the morning, he 
was upon his return to his palace at St. Cloud. Or 
the following day, at eleven^he received in succes- 
sion the congratulations oV the senate, the tribu 
nate, and the legislative corps, the clergy of Paris 
and other bodies. 

On the 23d of August, 1807, the marriage of 
Prince Jerome, the new king of Westphalia, with 
the Princess Catherine of Wirtemburg, was cele- 
\j rated. 

VOL II. 4 



38 MEMOIRS OP [1807 

About the beginning of August, Freuc.i troops 
ivere collected at Bayonne, to compel the Portu- 
guese to shut their ports against the English ; and 
in the middle of October, they were on their march 
under General Junot. 

The prince of the Brazils, his family, his court 
iind his ministers, had all embarked from Lisbon for 
South America on the 28th in the mormng. On 
the 29th, Genera. Junot entered Lisbon at eight 
o'clock. The grenadiers and voltigeurs were so 
fatigued with their previous marches, that they 
could not regulate their pace by the sound of the 
drum, whilst passing 1'irough the streets of this 
immense city, which at vnat time contained a papu- 
lation of three hundred thousand souls, and fourteen 
thousand regular troops. 

On the 15th of December, the French army had 
happily recovered from its fatigues, and general 
measures had been adopted for the common safety 
The French colours were ordered by General Junot 
to be hoisted upon the forts, the castle of Belem, 
and the principal batteries at Lisbon, in the room 
of the Portuguese. This event, so unexpected by 
the people of that city, excited a sensation so much 
ihe more lively, as, according to popular prejudice, 
the national flag was looked upon as a gift fron^ the 
Son of God, the Redeemer of maa. 



(80d.l 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE 



S3 



CHAPTER III. 



Re/lections upon the Decline of Napoleon's military Fwtune — 
Sittiation of Spain — Intrigues of Don M. Godoy — Ferdinand 
Charles TV. and his Family inveigled to Bayonne — Proclama- 
tion to the Svariish Nation — Battle of Baylen — Neio Prepara- 
tions for the War — Napoleon arrives at Btirgos — The Spanish 
Armies defeated at Espinosa, ^'C. — Attack of the Somo Sierra 
— Arrival of the French Army near Madrid — Madrid surren 
dered — Proclamation by Napoleon to tlie Spaniards. 

We are now arrived at an epoch in the life of 
Napoleon, from which we may fairly date the de 
cline of his military fortune : this was the unjust 
war with Spain. This country, it must be allowed, 
was heartily tired of its alliance with France, re- 
sulting from the treaty concluded at Fontainebleau 
on the 26-th of October, 1807. Its navy was al- 
most annihilated ; its ports were shut by the Eng- 
lish : besides these inconveniences, the Spanish 
government had to pay an annual subsidy of six 
millions to Napoleon, during the war, in lieu of 
some other engagements stipulated by that treaty. 
When Prussia, excited by England, and supported 
b}^ Russia, declared war against France, Godoy, 
the Spanish miniyter and favourite, not ignorant of 
the secret inclinations of Austria, hoped to see al; 
Europe again joined in a coalition against France 
and almost persuaded himself that he already sav\ 
the approaching ruin of the man, to whose car he 
had attached himself during his prosperity. This 
minister, then wishing in secret to join the cause 
that he expected v/ould triumph, addressed a vehe 
afient proclamation to the .Spaniards, in the name o\ 

T 



10 



MEMOIRS OP 



[180« 



his sovereign, which failed in its effect, precisely 
because it had been dictated by Godoy. 

Napoleon was informed of this act of imprudence 
whilst on the field of battle at Jena, about sunset 
on ths 14th of October, 1806 ; but did not th(3n 
seem to think it of any importance. Perliaps he 
was not sorry that Godoy, the favourite, had fur- 
nished him with a pretext, sooner or later, for de- 
priving the Bourbons of the Spanish crown, as he 
hf\d already acted in this manner by the king of 
Naples. 

This Spanish proclamation, published on the 3d 
of October, 1806, began to circulate in Spain just 
after the arrival of the news of the battle of Jena. 
Godoy then felt the weight of his imprudence, and 
thought to repair his fault, by sending an ambassa- 
dor extraordinary to felicitate Napoleon upon his 
new triumph. Being questioned upon the object 
of his proclamation, Godoy answered, that the ap- 
prehension of an immediate attack on the coasts of 
Spain by the emperor of Morocco, seconded by the 
English, had excited this appeal, and the extraor 
dinary armaments that were to follow ; but Napo 
leon could not be induced to listen a moment to an 
excuse so ridiculous. 

A decided misundei standing had long existed be 
tween Godoy and the heir presumptive of the Span- 
ish crown; by some attributed to the mdi^ nation 
that had been excited in the mind of young Fer- 
dinand by the scandalous elevation of & favourite 
without talents or virtue, and the r/erbearing as- 
cendency which he exercised over the king and 
queen, not to mention the partiality he had yltown 
for France. Charles IV. at length becoming se- 
riously indisposed, a rumour was spr(3ad that GodoTi 



J SOS.] NAPOIiEON BONAPARTE. 4l 

had obtained a promise from him to be the regeiA 

of the kingdom, in case of Charles's demise, from 
whence the malignity of his enemies inferred tho 
probability of the assassination of young Ferdi- 
nand, who, being alarmed, wrote a letter with Ins 
own hand, on the 11th of October, to Napoloonj 
requesting to be married to a princess of his fami- 
ly, without acquainting the king of that correspond- 
ence. This was afterwards made use of by Godoy 
to the prejudice of the prince, who, it seems, 
would certainly have fallen a victim to the intrigues 
of Godoy and his party, had not Napoleon, by his 
address, and for the furtherance of his own views 
on the country, got the king, queen, and prince, 
and the whole party, into his power at Bayonne. 
On the 30th of April, the king and the queen 
mother arrived at that place. Godoy had pre- 
ceded them four days, having been released from 
his confinement in the chateau of Villa Viciosa, 
and conducted to Bpyonne by one of the aide-de- 
camp of Murat. 

Ferdinand, when at Bayonne, being anxious to 
know the intentions of Napoleon with regard to him, 
the emperor, on the second audience that he gave 
him, declared that Charles IV. having abdicated in 
consequence of a popular commotion at Aranjuez, 
and this monarch having protested against that act 
obtained from him by violence, the French sove- 
reign could not acknowledge its validity, nor bestow 
opon the prince of the Asturias an illegal title. 
The Spaniards, who accompanied the prince, were 
struck with consternation at this declaration, and 
the prince himself deeply regretted that he had 
Act taken the advice of his friends at Burgos, not 
to put himself into the hands of an enemy to tlifl 
4* 



42 



MEMOIRS OP 



[1805, 



house of Bourbon. But the dejection of tli(j prince 
and his friends was extreme, when, a few day& af- 
ter, Napo.eon gave him to understand, " that it waa 
uot convenient for him to suffer the Bourbons to 
r^'ign any longer in Spain," and offered to Ferdi- 
nand the throne of Etruria in Italy, in exchange for 
that which he had lost. This offer he rejected, de- 
slaring that he never would renounce his right to 
the crown of Spain, and that he would have all or 
nothing. In the meanwhile, though Charles him- 
self had been received by Napoleon as the reigning 
monarch, it was not long before he fell into the 
snares that had been laid for him ; a treaty, which 
he made with Napoleon on the 6th of May, 1808, 
contained his renunciation of the throne of Spain : 
this was agreed to by Ferdinand and the infant Don 
Carlos, Charles IV. &c. The king, the queen his 
spouse, Don Manuel Godoy, and the rest of the 
family, were sent to the chateau of Compeigne. 
Ferdinand and his brother Don Carlos had their 
residence assigned them at the chateau of Valen- 
cay, an estate belonging to Prince Talleyrand. 
This chateau is in one of the finest situations in 
France, in the midst of an extensive forest. This, 
m 1808, was the residence of Ferdinand VII.: his 
brother and his uncle were there with him ; they 
were without any guard ; he had all his officers and 
servants, and received what visits he pleased ; he 
was at liberty to make excursions of several leagues, 
either for the purpose of hunting or in his carriage. 
Besides the 72,000 francs, which the French treas- 
ury annually paid as the rent of Valencay, Ferdi 
nand recei;ed for his maintenance 1,500,000 francs 
per annum. He wrote every month to Napoleon 
vho answered his letters. On the l-5th of August 



I80S.J NAPOLEON EONAPARTE. 43 

and on the empress's birth-day, he never failed to i\ 
iuminate the chateau and park of Valencay, and to 
distribute alms. He asked, several tnnes, Napo- 
leon's leave to go to Paris, which wps successive- 
ly ady-iurned : he solicited him to adopt him as hia 
son, and marry him to a French princess. He had 
the enjoyment of a very fine library, often received 
visits from tne neighbouring gentry, and from the 
merchants of Paris, who were eager to carry nov- 
elties to him. He long had a theatre and a com- 
pany of comedians ; but his confessors inspired him 
with scruples of conscience upon the propriety of 
this diversion, and he dismissed the troop. 

The junta of Spain, which was only a delibera- 
tive-body, and a kind of privy council to the new 
government, was every moment in expectation of 
the changes that were to follow the new order of 
ihings, Murat did not delay laying before them 
the two treaties signed by King Charles and Prince 
Ferdinand, as well as a proclamation dated Bour- 
deaux, and addressed to the nation. In this docu- 
ment, the infants Don Antonio and Don Carloa 
asserted, on the part of the Spaniards, the neces- 
sity and utility of uniting their interests to those of 
France. 

The contents of this paper evidently prove that 
)o was written by Napoleon himself, but published 
under the pretext of its being the production of the 
Spanish princes. The emperor, on his side, ad- 
dressed another proclamation, of a conciliating char- 
acter, to the Spanish nation. 

After having received various communications 
from Napoleon, several members of the junta pro- 
Dosed to the grand duke of Berg and the ambassa- 
dor Lafcfe."5t, to give the nation the fre€ exercise o/ 



14 



MEMOIRS OF 



fl 808 



Is rights, in convoking the cortes ; but such a pro- 
posal could not possibly be received by these agents 
of Napoleon ; they were too well acquainted with 
the intentions of their master, even to venture to 
lay it before him. However, the same junta was 
very shortly after induced to publish their accepta- 
tion of Joseph Bonaparte, elder brother of Napo- 
le.on, as thoir sovereign ; his promotion to the throne 
of Spain and the Indies having been announced in 
an imperial decree of the 5th of June, 1808. 

Such were the events preparatory to a war that 
eventually led to the final overthrow of its author 
and his abettors, in consequence of the landing in 
Portugal by the English, and the astonishing sue 
cess of Sir Arthur VVellesley and his successors. 

The French army, defeated at Caldos, Roleia, 
and Vimeira, was obliged to capitulate on the 30tb 
of August, according to the convention of Cintra • 
General Junot was more fortunate than Dupont at 
Baylen, in June, 1808. The insurrection against the 
French in Spain had become general. War was 
declared against France by the supreme junta of 
Seville, on the 6th of June ; the French admiral 
Rossily, who was in the harbour of Cadiz with five 
men of war, capitulated on the 14th. Castanos. 
the Spanish general, was nominated general-in- 
chief of all the troops in Andalusia ; and General 
Caro obtained the same rank in the kingdom of 
Valencia, where he was attacked by Marshal Mon- 
cey at the head of 15,000 old soldiers. The de- 
fence was so skilful and so valorous, that the 
French were obliged to retreat towards Madrid on 
the '28th of June. General Blake was routed on 
he 14th of July, at Medina del rio Secco. by Mar- 
fclial Bessieres ; but that defeat was amply revenget 



1808. j 



NAPOLEON DONAPaUTE. 



by the triumph of Castanos, an event in the life ol 
Napoleon, which caused him the most extreme mor- 
tification. 

The battle of Baylen proved one of the first and 
most fatal reverses of the French ; here, after a 
desperate eng^agement on the 23d of July, upwards 
of eig-hteen thousand men, under General Dupont, 
surrendered to the Spaniards, defiled before the 
Spanish army with the honours of war, and depos- 
ited their arms in the manner agreed on by both 
parties. 

The catastrophe of Baylen, the valiant defence 
of Sarag-ossa, and the necessity the French army 
was under, of taking- a defensive position upon the 
right bank of the Ebro, had in some measure opened 
the eyes of Napoleon, as to the character of the 
nation upon whom he wished to impose the yoke of 
his power He acknowledged, too late, that he had 
imprudently entered into the war, and committed a 
great fault in having commenced it with forces too 
few in number, and too widely scattered. Eighty 
thousand of his old troops, the instruments of his 
glory and success in Italy, Germany, and Poland, 
were consequently ordered to march towards the 
Pyrenees ; the contingents of the confederation of 
the Rhine were also put in motion, and his senate 
sanctioned the levy of a hundred and sixty thou- 
Band conscripts. 

Determined to march at the- head of this lew 
firmy, Nap' ileon wished beforehand to fathom the 
inclinations of the courts of Austria and Russia, in 
order that no obstacles might be thrown in his way ; 
he therefore procured an interview with the empe- 
ror Alexander at Erfurt, where the princes of the 
Rhenish confederation were present. On the 3<? 



ia 



MEMOIRS OF 



I80b 



&f November, 1808, he was at the castle of Mar- 
rac, near Bayonne, and hero he gave the first or- 
ders for the actual recommencement of hostilities 
upon the borders of the Ebro. 

After a variety of military movements, Napoleon 
fixed his head-quarters at Burgos, and sent out de- 
tachments in several directions in pursuit of the 
enemy. The battle of Espinosa, fought on the 
10th and 11th of November, was extremely san- 
guinary. In this and other battles whi^h followed, 
two of the principal Spanish armies were uestroyed, 
viz. those of Estremadura and Gallicia. This suc- 
cess determined the emperor to march rapidly upon 
Madrid, whilst his armies on the right and left 
completed the dispersion of the vanquished troops, 
and prevented their junction with the corpo- that 
covered the capital. 

On the 29th of November, Napoleon was at Bo- 
zeguillas ; on the 30th, at day-break, the duke of 
Belluno, Marshal Victor, arrived near the strong 
position of Somo Sierra, defended by thirteen thou- 
sand men under General San Juan. 

Another bloody battle here ensued, and the Span- 
ish corps were totally dispersed. They lost ten 
stands of colours, all their artillery and baggage, 
thirty caissons, the regimental chests, a great nun.- 
ber killed, wounded, and prisoners, including seve- 
ral colonels and other superior officers. 

On the first of .December, the whole of Marsha* 
Ney's corps formed a junction with the army of 
the centre, and the head-quarters were fixed at the 
village ol Sant Augustine on the same day. On 
the second, the emperor, with the cavalry of his 
guard, Maubourg's and Lahoussaie's dragoons 
moved towards the heights from which Madrid ma^ 



1808.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE 4? 

be seen, approaching it by the high road from Cas- 
tille. This city was in a state of fermentation in 
the highest degree. An aid-de-camp, sent bj 
Marshal Bessieres to summon the authorities to 
open the gates, narrowly escaped with his life, 
from the exasperation of the populace. The mili- 
tary junta returned for answer, that the populace 
would rather bury themselves under the ruins of 
the place than submit. It is sufficient to add, that 
this city could not resist the fire of thirty pieces of 
cannon, that soon made a breach in the edifice 
called the Retiro, which, with other places, was 
immediately inundated by French troops. Con- 
sternation now became general, and on the 4th of 
December, at six in the morning, General Morla 
and Don Fernando de la Vera went to the head- 
quarters of the prince of Neufchatel, to announce 
that the peaceable inhabitants would gratefully ac 
cept the generous proposals of the emperor. Gen- 
eral Belliard, being appointed governor of Madrid, 
entered the capital about ten o'clock, with a body 
of troops. 

The emperor, not choosing to enter Madrid, en- 
camped with his guards upon the heights of Cha- 
martin, a mile from the city, where he continued to 
take measures calculated to ensure the subjugation 
of the whole country. The occupation of the 
Spanish ca,pital did not produce the submission ex- 
pected in the provinces. 

Afler the French troops had entered Madrid, 
Napoleon lost no time in issuing a piociamation, in 
which he promised the Spanish nation every thing 
that the benignity of his disposition could bestow, 
provided they quietly received his brother, and, 
Ike loyal subjects, swore fealty and allegiance U 



4S 



MEMOIRS OF 



him : while, on tho other hand, he denounced the 
severest vengeance if they continued contumacious 
In an address, which the corregidor and magis- 
trates of Madrid presented to him on the 9th of 
December, the inhabitants are made to thank him 
ror his c.emency, and to sohcit the favour of see- 
mff King Joseph at Madrid. 



1809. 1 NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. '4% 



CHAPTER IV. 

Hetreaz of tiije English Arviy — Napoleo7i's Arrival at Astorgi — 
Manoeuvres in the Environs of Lugo — Battle of Corunna — 
D^ath of Sir John Moore — Surrender of Roses and Saragos- 
sa — DlapolecH's Return to France — War betiveen France and 
Austria — Bittles of Abensberg ,Landshut , and Eclvmuhl — Attack 
of Ratishon — Combat of Ebersberg — Surrender of Vienna — 
Battle of Essling — Interesting Irdemew beliveen Bonaparte ana 
Marshal Lannes, when mortally wounded — Operatirms of Princt 
Eugene and the Duke of Ragusa. 

Sir John Moore Iiaving effected a junction 
nth the corps of Sir David Baird, near Benavente, 
on the 20th of December, 1808, Napoleon quitter' 
fiis head-quarters at Chamartin on the 22d, and ad 
vanced with his guard, the corps of Marshal Ney, 
and the cavalry of Marshal Bessieres, in the direc- 
tion of Valladolid. On the 25th, the emperor's 
head-quarters were at Tordesilas. Sir John Moore 
was on his march through Villada, towards Carrion, 
with the intention of attacking the French, when 
lie learned that Marshal Soult was himself marching 
on his right towards Leon and Astorga, and that 
another corps, under the emperor in person, had arriv- 
ed by forced marches at Valladolid. Perceiving the 
danger of his position, the English general imme- 
diately ordered his troops to fall back upon Bena- 
t^ente, upon the borders of the Esla, at which place 
they were collected on the 29t,h of December 
A.fter having broken the bridges upon the Orbigo, 
the English columns pursued their way to Villa- 
franca. On the 1st of January, 1809, the emperoj 
arrived at Astorga ; he ordered Marshal Soult to 
continue the pursuit of the enemy. 
VOL. n. 5 



60 



MEMOIRS OF 



fl80ft 



The British army had overrun the space of fifty- 
five leagues between Villafranca and Lugo, where 
it arrived on the 5th, at night, m forty- eight liours ■ 
but, to make this effort, it was necessary to abandon 
a part of their treasure, cannon, baggage, and am- 
nmnit.on. On the same day that the English en- 
tered Lugo, the French arrived at Ferriera, and 
there overtook a rear-guard belonging to the 
en^my. Marshal SouK, supposing that the English 
general intended to make a stand at Lugo, thought 
proper to reunite his columns before he commenced 
a decisive attack. 

On the 9th, at four in the morning, the French 
army was under arms ; but the English had taken 
the precaution to light large fires, whilst the noise 
of a continued movement seemed to indicate that 
they were preparing for battle. Day, however, 
unveiled the truth. The main body of the English 
had withdrawn from Lugo at nine o'clock on the 
preceding night, so that on the next day they had 
gained ten leagues in advance of Marshal Soult. 
After sustaining unheard-of fatigues, the English 
advanced guard could not suppress their shouts of 
exultation on seeing the walls of Corunna, on the 
11th of January, at which place, in the course of 
the afternoon, all the troops, to the number of fif- 
teen thousand, were collected. From three to four 
thousand light troops, detached by Sir John Moore 
from Astorga towards Orensee, were not pursued, 
and reached Vigo in safety. 

The English, in this disastrous retreat, lost be- 
tween three and four thousand men, in consequence 
of hunger and fatigue. The cavalry wac dis- 
mounted, and nearly three thousand horses died, oi 
were killed b} thoir riders. 



1809.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 51 

it is acknowledged, that the excellent dispoj' 
tions made by Sir John Moore to prevent any sur- 
prise on the part of the French, and the firmnesa 
of tne British in the battle of Corunna on the 16th, 
procured him leisure to embark his troops from that 
port with little or no molestation, though it cost the 
life of their general, who, Napoleon himself ac- 
knowledged, was a "brave soldier, an excellent 
officer, and a man of talent: he died gloriously: he 
died like a soldier." 

The English fleet having disappeared, Marshal 
Soult summoned the place, still garrisoned by two 
Spanish regiments under General Alzedo, who ca- 
pitulated on the 20th. 

Ferrol was the next place that opened its gates 
to the French ; and the occupation of Vigo, soon 
after, completed the conquest of Gallicia. In Cat- 
alonia, Roses opened its gates to the French on 
the 6th of December, 1808. Barcelona, blockaded 
by General Reding, was liberated by the defeat of 
the Spaniards. Saragossa, the capital of Aragon, 
surrendered on the 21st of February, after the 
most heroic defence under General Palafox. But 
this success, though very brilliant on the part of 
the French, was not sufficiently decisive to induce 
the Spanish nation to submit to their new king, Jo- 
seph. 

A I the commencement of 1809, a warlike mon- 
arch, surrounded with all the charms of victory, 
and the paraphernalia of invincible power, was at 
the head of the French armies in Spain. In four 
pitched battles he destroyed all the forces that a 
nation risen in a mass could oppose against him 
At the first report of Napoleon's approach, the Eng 
\Lsh array lastened to avoid an engagement. 



52 MEMOIRS OF [1809 

Under these circumstances, and whilst a greal 
number of Spaniards were already persuaded thai 
the revolution effected at Bayonne, and the invasion 
cf the country, might eventually lead to the enjoy- 
ment uf rational liberty, Austria suddenly interfered 
with menaces of war, and Napoleon was forced to 
turn his attention to the defence of the territory of 
his allies in Germany. He then traversed Spain 
with the rapidity of lightning, and flew to the spot 
where new dangers and new triumphs awaited him. 
Napoleon took with him his guard, that imposing 
reserve of his army. He left behind him a feeble 
King, equally as incapable of keeping, as of obtain- 
ing a conquest ; and an army distributed over an 
immense space of territory, weakened by endemic 
diseases, reduced by partial combats, and without 
re-enforcements from the interior of the empire. 
During the whole of the German campaign oi 
1809, ''the French in Spain were merely able to 
maintain themselves in the positions which they 
occupied soon after Napoleon's departure. The 
results of the war here, after he ceased to take a 
part in it, decidedly prove that it was not in the 
power of his lieutenants to complete the subjuga- 
tion of that country. The absence of the supreme 
dire' tor paralyzed all their efforts, and even ren- 
dered their advantages sliort-lived and illusory 
There was no longer any agreement amongst them ,• 
each of them endeavoured to carry on the war 
upon his own foundation ; and none of them was 
aufficiently disinterested to make any sacrifice in 
favour of another. 

Scarcely had Napoleon repassed the Pyrenees, 
»vhen the British cabinet, redoubling their solicita- 
tions to the court of Vienna, insisted that the mo 



1809.] 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



51 



meiit was arrived for avenging the humiliation ol 
former campaigns, and for disengaging itself from 
the shameful stipulations of the trea.ty of Presburg 
flostile preparations were then renewed with nort 
vigour than ever. A war, at this period, with Aus- 
tria, was so contrary to the views of Napoleon, thai 
he used every possible means of conciliation to 
avoid it, and even proposed to Francis II. the n.e- 
diation of Russia ; but, following the advice of the 
British cabinet, this overture was rejected. 

In the month of February, 1809, the disposable 
forces of the emperor of Austria amounted to 
400,000 men ; whilst, for opening the campaign in 
Germany, Napoleon could not reckon upon more 
than 200,000, including the troops of the confed- 
eration of the Rhine. The courts of Paris and Vien- 
na had continued to exchange illusory notes till the 
end of March ; but, on the 6th of April, a proclama- 
tion from the archduke Charles, appointed general- 
issimo of the Austrian armies, announcing war with 
France, put an end to all uncertainty. 

On the 9th of April, the archduke Charles ad- 
dressed the following note to the general -in-chiet 
of the French army at Munich : " According to 
the declaration of his majesty the emperor of Aus- 
tria, I have to inform M. le General-in-chief, that 1 
have orders to advance with the troops under my 
command, and to treat all those who make resist- 
ance as enemies." On the same day, the Austrian 
advanced guard passed the Inn, and on the follow- 
ing, hostilities commenced, whilst the bulk of the 
army followed the movement of the advanced 
guard. On the 10th of April, correspondent opeia- 
tions took place at all points. 



54 MEMOIRS OF [1809 

The emperor Napoleon having- been hiformed ai 
Paris, on the evening of the 12th, of the con> 
mencement of hostilities in Germany, this was the 
signal for his departure. On the 16th, he arrived 
3 1 Dillingen on the Danube, where he met the king 
of Bavaria, who had retired from Munich. Nap^o- 
leon promised Maximilian to restore him to his 
capital in fifteen days. On the 17th, his head- 
quarters were at Donawerth, where he employed 
himself in giving such orders as circumstances had 
rendered necessary. 

General Oudinot arrived at PfafFenhoffen, where 
he met three or four thousand Austrians, whom he 
attacked, and took three hundred prisoners. The 
duke of Rivoli arrived next day at Pfaffenhoffen. 
The same day, the duke of Auerstadt left Ratisbon 
to advance to Neustadt, and to draw near to In- 
goldstadt. It was evident, then, that Napoleon's 
plan was to out-manoeuvre the enemy, who had 
passed through Landshut. 

• The combat of Tann took place on the 19th. At 
Pressing, Napoleon gained a battle most glorious 
to the French arms. In the battle of Abensberg, 
which occurred on the 20th, the emperor was re- 
sdved to destroy the corps of the archduke Louis 
and General Keller, amounting to sixty thousand 
men. Napoleon determined to fight that day at the 
head of the Bavarians and Wirtemburgers. He 
ordered their oflicers to form a circle, and addressed 
them in a long speech, translatBd to them in German 
by the prince royal of Bavaria. He then gave the 
eignal for battle, and adapted manoeuvres to the par. 
ticular character of the troops. The attack of the 
French was successful at all points, and the enemy 
beat a retreat after fighting about an hour. Fdghi 



1809.1 



NAPOLEON 30NAPART11 



standards, twelve pieces of cannon, and eighvoen 
thousand prisoners, were the result of this afFa r, 
which cost the French but few men. 

Ii- retreating through Landshut the Austrians 
susiained great losses. The arrival of General 
Oudinot at the head of his whole corps by way of 
Mandelstadt, and the information received by the 
Austrian General Hiller, that Massena had passed 
the Iser at Mosburg, and was advancing to join 
Napoleon, hastened the further retreat of the ene- 
my upon the Inn, through Neumark and Alt Get- 
ting, still pursued by Marshal Bessieres ; and thus 
the operations of two remarkable days effected the 
separation of the grand Austrian army in two 
parts ; and thus the retreat of General Hiller left 
the centre of the archduke Charles's army complete- 
ly uncovered. 

During these proceedings, the archduke Charles 
had formed a junction with the Bohemian army 
under Kollowrath, and obtained some partial suc- 
cess at Ratisbon. This event made an impression 
upon the emperor, and he swore that in twenty- 
four hours Austrian blood should flow in Ratisbon 
to avenge the insult that had been offered to hib 
arms. There was no time to be lost ; he began his 
march from Landshut with several divisions under 
ti'im. At two o'clock in the afternoon, they arri^ ed 
opposite to Echmuhl, where four corps of the Aus- 
trian army, consisting of one hundred and ten thou- 
sand men, had taken a position under the archduke 
Charles. One of the most beautiful sights which 
war could produce then presented itself: one hun- 
dred and ten thousand men were attacked on ail 
points, turned on their left, and successively driven 
from all their positions. The Austrians were com- 

U 



56 



MEMOIRS OF 



[180^ 



pletely routed. All their wounded, the greatoj 
part of their artillery, and twenty thousand prisoii- 
ora, fell into the hands of the victors. 

On the 23d, at day-break, the French army ad- 
vanced upon Ratisbon. Eight thousand Austrians 
having been cut in pieces, the enemy precipitately 
repassed the Danube. Having no time to destroy 
the bridge, the French passed over with them to 
the left bank. 

At the battle of Abensberg the emperor beat sep- 
arately the two corps of the archduke Louis and 
General Keller ; at the battle of Landshut he took 
the centre of their communications, and the gene- 
ral depot of their magazines and artillery ; finally, 
at the battle of Echmuhl, the three' corps of Ho- 
henzollern, Rosemberg and Lichtenstein, were de- 
feated. 

On the 27th of April, the emperor Napoleon had 
his head-quarters at Muhldorf. 

The duke of Dantzick, after having accompanied 
King Maximilian to Munich, had orders to enter 
the Tyrol with the whole of his force ; to drive the 
Austrians out of that country, and thus secure the 
rear of the grand army against any attempts from 
this quarter. 

On the 2 7th of April, the Marshals Lannes, Bes- 
sieres, and Massena, began to advance beyond the 
Inn. On the 30th, the emperor arrived at Burghau- 
sen with Jiis guard. From the 30th of April till 
tne 2d of May, the French army continued its pro- 
gressive march. General Oudinot seized upon 
Ried. The dultes of Montebello and Istria oc- 
cupied V7els. On the right, Marshal Lefebvre di- 
rected the march of a column upon Kuffstein, and 
a.T>ther upon Rastadt upon the Ems, thus cccuoy 



1809.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 51 

mg two loutes leading into Italy across the Tyrol 
A third column, pursuing the retreat of the Austri 
an general Jellachich towards Styria, came up 
with the enemy at Colling, and occasioned him some 
loss. On the left, the duke of Rivoli pursued the 
route from Scharding to Efferden. 

On the 3d of May, the advanced guard of tlie 
French army, under Massena, arrived at Lintz. On 
the same day, the emperor's head-quarters were at 
Lambach. Near Ebersberg, the enemy was boldly 
attacked the moment he was advancing towards the 
bridge to gain the right bank of the Traun, under 
tlie protection of numerous batteries. This day 
cost the Austrians four thousand five hundred kill- 
ed and wounded, and from six to seven thousand 
prisoners. On the 6th of May, the prince of Ponte 
Corvo had his head-quarters at Roetz, upon the 
high road from Ratisbon to Prague. On the same 
day, the duke of Montebello arrived with his troops 
at Moelk, whilst the duke of Rivoli supplied their 
place at Amstetten, and the duke of Auerstadt ai 
Lintz. 

On the 7th of May, the Austrian general Hiller 
arriving at St. Polten, divided his troops, and passed 
the Danube over the bridge of Krems with the 
most numerous body ; the rest, composed of light 
troops, under General Nordmann, pursued the route 
to Vienna, to assist in the defence of that city till 
the arrival of the archduke Charles, who had flat- 
tered himself with being able to operate on both 
sides of the Danube. On the 9th of May, the 
corps of Marshals Massena and Lannes formed a 
junction near Sieghartskirchen, four leagues from 
the Austrian capital. On the same day, the empe- 
ror's h-'.ad-quirters were at St. Polten, the prince 



58 



MEMOIRS OP 



[1809 



of Echmuhl quitted Lintz f )r Mc-clk. The prince 
of Ponte Corvo pursued the rear of the archduke 
Charles, and, harassing him with several demonstra- 
tions, obliged him to divide his army ; lastly, the 
<luke of Dantzick continued to march towards tha 
'Vyroi, and arrived at Innspruck. 

On the 10th of May, at nine in the morning. Na- 
poleon appeared at the gates of Vienna, with the 
corps of the duke of Montebello. This was exact- 
ly a month after the Austrian army had passed the 
Inn to invade Bavaria. The emperor slept in the 
evening at the imperial chateau of Schoenbrunn. 
Vienna was then occupied by the archduke Maxi- 
milian with ten battalions of the line and ten of the 
landwehr making from fifteen to sixteen thousand 
men. The duke of Montebello, by order of Napo- 
leon, sent Colonel Lagrange to summon the city to 
open its gates, when the enraged populace would 
have assassinated him, had he not been rescued by 
a picket. Soon after, the fire of the ramparts 
commenced at all points. 

Napoleon v/as reduced thus reluctantly to the 
hard necessity of bombarding the place. General 
Bertrand, of the engineers, chose to erect a bat- 
tery of twenty howitzers upon the spot where the 
Turks, in 1683, first opened their trenches. This 
battery, covered by the emperor's stables, began to 
bombard the place about nine o'clock, but could 
not silence the fire of the ramparts. Several 
hotels and large buildings ;n the city became the 
prey of the flames, and spi.^ad the greatest con- 
sternation amongst an immense population, shut uji 
&s it were in a narrow space. In the interim, a flag 
of truce was sent out, to announce that the young 
archiutchess Maria Iconise, ill of the small-pox 



1809.1 NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 5^ 

not being able to accompany her father and niother, 
vv'as then in the imperial palace, exposed to the fire 
of the French artillery. Out of respect to thia 
princess, Napoleon changed the direction of the 
batteries in such a manner, that the palace wag 
preserved. The archduke, finding his communica- 
tions threatened, ordered the troops of the line to 
evacuate the city, leaving the battalions of the 
landwelir under General O'Reilly, whom he had 
y.uthorized to treat for a capitulation. In fact, the 
emperor Napoleon, on the following day, granted 
the deputation sent to him the same capitulation 
which they had received from him in the year 
1 S05 ; the articles were signed in the evemng, and, 
on the following day, General Oudinot's troops oc- 
cupied the city, the garrison of which remainec' 
prisoners of war. 

Napoleon did not enter Vienna, but the imperial 
guard was cantoned about Schoenbrunn, and the 
corps under the dukes of Rivoli, Montebello and Is- 
tria, in the environs of that city. Two points offered 
themselves for the passage of the Danube ; the first 
to the lefl of the place, near the village of Naus- 
dorf, and below Bisamberg, and which commanded 
an excellent position on the other side, supposing 
the river could be passed in sufficient force before 
the enemy arrived. An attempt made to seize tliia 
position did not succeed. The second point w^aa 
on the right, between the island of Lobau and 
Presburg. Here the Danube is divided into seve- 
ral branches, and the heights on the right bank 
allow of the works being protected by batteries. 
The isle of Lobau, to which the emperor gave the 
preference, about a mile and a half east of Vienna, 
\s covered wit^ trees, and surrounded with bushes 



60 MEMOIRS OF (^1809 

on all siiies, which conceal even the most elavate^ 
situat'ons upon it. 

On the 21st of May, the whole Austrian army 
was under arms, and drawn up in two lines behind 
Gerardsdorf, between the mount Bisamberg and 
the Russbach, a brook. At four in the evening 
the archduke, having learned by his out-posta 
that a part of the French army was in position, no 
longer hesitated to advance. The Austrian army 
then presented a total of ninety thousand men, with 
two hundred and twenty-eight pieces of cannon of 
different calibre. To resist this force Napoleon 
had not more than forty thousand men with him, 
and the greatest part of the artillery was in the 
island of Lobau. 

The action commenced with a vigorous attack by 
the archduke upon the left wing of the French at 
Gros Aspern. The defence, conducted by Marshal 
Massena, was equally as spirited as the attack; 
three times the Austrians, much superior in num- 
ber, endeavoured to carry the village of Aspern, 
ar.d three tim.es they were repulsed. Boudet's di- 
vision, which defended Essling under the duke of 
Montebello, did not display less firmness and val 
our. Marshal Bessieres, advancing with rapiditj 
upon the corps under General Hohenzollern, broke 
it, and threw it into disorder. The Austrian cava. 
ry in their turn endeavoured to overthrow tht 
French ; O'Reilly's regiment was cut in pieces ; 
but night came on, and put an end to this combat 

This murderous day, in which the advantage did 
not rest with either party, was the prelude to the 
terrible anc? memorable battle on the day following 
Diring the night, the division of St. Hilaire, th« 
sorps of Oudinot, i part of the old and new guard, 



1809.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE 61 

two brigades ol ight cavai-y, and the tiain of Ar- 
tillery, arrived from the island of Lobau, and en- 
tered into line with the other troops. These re-en- 
forcements increased the French army to forty-five 
thousand men. 

On the 22d, at day-break, the archduke Charlea 
made his dispositions for renewing the battle, which 
began at four in the morning. The columns of 
Generals Hiller and Bellegarde attacked the village 
of Aspern, still occupied by the marshal duke of 
Rivoli, vvith an 8,dditional division. The French 
firmly maintained their position. Whilst this was 
passing on the left of the French line, the Aus- 
trians attacked the village of Essling with equal 
vigour ; but this was obstinately defended by Bou- 
det's division. 

Towards seven in the evening. Napoleon con- 
ceived the idea of separating the Austrian army, by 
penetrating through its centre, and charged the 
duke of Montebello with this operation. The ene- 
my's efforts to resist the French columns were in 
vain ; they continued to advance with the cry of 
Five Vempereur ! the Austrian line was soon obliged 
to retreat, though in very good order. It wa& 
seven in the morning : the French cavalry had 
reached the little village of Breitenlee, the arch- 
duke's head-quarters. Only a few more efforts 
were now wanting to complete the triumph of fillj 
tliousand Frenchmen over ninety thousand of their 
enemies, when suddenly it was understood that the 
emperor had just received information, that the 
bridges tlirown over the Danube had been carried 
away by brats loaded with stones, launched from 
the islands above that of Lobau. It now appeared 
impossible that the rest of the army, coinpoToe 

"CL. II. 6 



62 



MEMOIRS OF 



[180g 



nf more than forty thousand men, eighty pieces of 
artillery, &c., could pass into the isle of Lobau, oi 
over to the left shore of the Danube. Such intel- 
ligence as this would have disconcerted any other 
chief than Napoleon : he, without showing the 
least alteration in his countenance, and with heroic 
indifference, sent orders to Marshal Lannes to 
slacken his pursuit, and to return slowly into a po- 
sition between Aspern and Essling. 

Perceiving the French thus arrested in their ca- 
reer of victory, the archduke Charles had no doubt 
but that the auxiliary means that had been prepar- 
ing had taken their intended effect ; and the battle 
was renewed upon the same ground, and with the 
same balance of success, as on the preceding even- 
ing. The villages of Aspern and Essling were 
attacked by the reserve of the enemy's grenadiers, 
who had not before taken any part in the action 
The feeble French army, compelled to be sparing 
of its ammunition, knowing they could no longer 
receive any supply, could oppose nothing but theii 
bayonets to these terrible attacks, excepting their 
native valour and unshaken constancy. The troops 
exposed to this dreadful fire from their adversaries, 
never fired unless when the enemy's columns were 
within forty paces« Whilst the intrepid Marsha] 
Lannes, at the head of his brave men, was running 
along the front of his line, and encouraging them 
by his voice and example, he was struck on the 
knee by a Ifall. General St. Hilaire and a num- 
ber of officers were mortally wounded, yet their 
fall did not dishearten the brave men they command- 
ed for a moment ; they saw their ranks thinned 
without any emotions of terror ; they closed as fas* 
ind still tlared the death that menaced them. 



1809.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 6S 

NapoleDn saw that victory was departing frorr hi* 
eagles ; but, superior to fortune, he contii ued his 
dispositions as in a day of triumph. He sent re- 
enforcements to the points most pressed ; he en- 
deavoured to gain time without compromising the 
safety of his troops. Gros Aspern, in the mean 
while, was taken and retaken four times, and Ess- 
ling eight. At the last of these attacks, the em- 
peror made the regiment of fusileers, and the ti- 
ralleurs of the guard, advance under the generals 
Mouton and Curial : they took and remained in 
possession of Essling, which the enemy attempted 
no more to disturb. The old guard, commanded 
by General Dorsenne, was placed in the third line, 
and the Austrians wisely thought that their efforts 
would fail against those brave veterans. Atleno-th, 
at nine at night, this sanguinary conflict ceased : 
the French preserved the positions they had in the 
morning, and the Au^^trians bivouacked where they 
were. Both armiea sustaihed nearly an equal 
loss ; from fifteen to twenty thousand men had been 
killed or wounded on both sides. 

Ever since ten in the morning, the engineers 
and the artillery officers had been employed in the 
island of Lobau repairing the damage done to the 
bridges, especially that which kept up the commu- 
nication with the left bank of the Danube ; but 
they had now to struggle with the fire-ships that 
were continually coming down, and against the 
waters of the river, that had risen eight feet in the 
ispace of some hours, occasioned by the melting of 
the snows in the mountains. Cables were broken 
vessels, drifted away, had the greatest difficulty to 
"egaii? the current ; they were replaced and drifted 



S4 



MEMOIRS OP 



[1809 



again and again. Before the bridge was woll fixed, 
men and ammunition were passed cs er, which ena- 
bled the French to hold out till night. Though the 
engagement ceased to be general at nine o'clock, 
tlie advanced posts continued firing till midnight 
Napoleon had passed over to the isle of Lobau 
before the bridge was in a state to sustain the 
numbers that followed. He was walking alone at 
a great pace, and apparently with his eyes to the 
ground, when he observed a long file of the wound- 
ed endeavouring to gain the island, there to find 
protection and relief to their sufferings. In tra 
cing the line of this funeral march, he observed a 
group advancing, and carrying Marshal Lannes. 
Crossing their fire-locks, and with some branches 
of oak, twelve old grenadiers, covered with blood 
and dust, had formed a bier, upon which lay stretch- 
ed the illustrious warrior. As soon as the empe- 
ror perceived tlfts was the duke of Montvebello, hu 
liastened to meet him. The grenadiers stopped, 
and Napoleon, throwing himself upon his old com- 
{)anioa in arms, who had fainted with the loss of 
blood, with a voice scarcely articulate, said several 
times, " Lannes, my friend, do you know me ? It ia 
the emperor ; it is Bonaparte, your friend." At 
these words Lannes, opening his eyes, till then 
closed, collected his spirits, and made some attempts 
to speak ; but, not being able, he could only lift his 
dying arms to pass them round the neck of Napo- 
leon. Thus embracing and mingling their sighs, 
vhe old grenadiers, during this mute eloquence, 
could not suppress the tears of sympathy tliat fell 
from those eyes that had so lately gleamed with a 
Fery different passior* 



/&09.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. CA 

When as many of the wounded as it was possi 
ble to remove had been brought to Lobau, a barij 
was prepared, in which Napoleon traversed the 
broadest arm of the Danube, and joined tiie troops 
that remained upon the right bank of that river. 
Before he quitted the island, he dictated an ordei 
to Marshal Massena, enjoining him to make his re- 
ireat to the island with all possible silence, after 
having lighted and increased the fire of his bivou- 
ac ks, for the purpose of deceiving the enemy. The 
French army performed this retrograde movement, 
and the passage of the bridge, with admirable 
order ; at four in the morning, all the troops and the 
artillery were collected in the island, and the bridge 
removed. 

But to return to the operations on the other side : 
from the approaching sound of the cannon, the corps 
of Marshal Davoust, the division under General 
St. Sulpice, and some other troops left on the right 
of the river, could easily judge how much theii 
presence was wanted. Their desperation was ex- 
sreme, v/hen they found that no means were left 
for their passage. 

The archduke Charles did not profit by tLe ad- 
v^antage which this retreat of a part of the French 
army had offered him, and which was more than 
counterbalanced, soon after, by the arrival of the 
army of Italy under Prince Eugene. 

The archduke John, commanding the Augtrian 
flinny in Italy, was completely beaten by the French 
in the affairs upon the Piave, St. Daniel, Tarvis, 
and Goritzia. On the 28th of May, the duke of 
Ragusa. commanding the army of Dalmatia, effect- 
ed his junction at Fiume with the army of Italy 
6* 



MEMOIRS OP 



[1B0» 



In adverting to the plan of operations laid down 
by Napoleon, it may be necessary to observe, that, 
according to this, the divisions of infantry under 
Generals Clausel and Montichard, that occupied Dal- 
cidtia and part of lUyria, were to form the extreme 
ri^ht of the grand army as soon as Prince Eugene 
should have formed his junction with it. In the 
meanwhile the viceroy, in advancing upon the 
frontiers of Austria and Hungary, on the 5th of 
June, was in possession of CEdenburg, the first fron- 
tier town in Hungary. Two days after this, the 
prince established his head-quarters atGuntz. Ad- 
vancing towards Raab on the 12th, the town of 
Papa was occupied, after a brisk engagement, in 
«¥hich General Grouchy made six hundred prisoners 



S09.1 NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



CHAPTER V. 



Bank of Rmb— Desperate Affair of the Sqmre-house- AhUut 
and Courage of Pnnce Eugene— Positions occupied by ilu 
Army of the Archduke Charles—The Island oj Lobaw—Oy. 
eraiions of the French— i^assage of the Danube— Bailies (f En 
zersdorjf, Wagram, Gros Aspern, Sec— Generals MacdvnaU 
and Oudinct appointed Marshals— Retreai and Pursuit of ^ i!u 
Austi-ians — Arrival of Napoleon at Znaim— Conditions of ar 
Armistice agreed uvon— Marriage with the Archdutchess Marit 
Louise proposed bv i\avoieon—Refections—Attpupt of a tjoung 
German to assassinate Napoleon — Arrival of the Emperor ul 
Foniainebleau— Expedition against Walcheren 

On the 13th, in the morning, the Frencn army 
was in motion for Raab ; here they found the Aus- 
trian army in position upon the heights that mask 
that city. Twelve hundred select troops occupied 
as an advanced post a farm, or large square build- 
ing, which had been carefully fortified. A deep 
water, which enclosed the marsh on the left, bathed 
the walls of this farm, and increased the difficulties 
of its approach. The rear of this formidable po- 
gition was bristled with artillery. Prince Eugene, 
having reconnoitred the whole line, made his dis- 
positions for the attack, which was fixed for thd 
14th. The viceroy, with thirty-five thousand men, 
attacked fifty thousand of the enemy. Whilst Gen- 
eral Seras made an attempt upon the farm, oi 
square-house. General Montbrun made a movement 
upon the right of the enemy's light troops, which 
obliged them to unmask the front of their infantry, 
and throw themselves precipitately towards the lef\ 
of their line Having arrived near the farm, Gen 
feral Seras made dispositions for carrying it by 



68 MEMOIRS OF [180a 

main force ; but the depth of the water, spoken oi 
before, presented an obstacle which his troops 
could not easily surmount. General Seras, how 
ever, whilst other corps were more successfu' 
against the enemy, made a vigorous attack ipoa 
the troops posted on the right of the square-he use 
but, notwithstanding the success that attended this 
movement, he did not obtain possession before throf* 
successive attacks had been made upon it. The 
taking of this position was absolutely necessary to 
ensure the success of the day : accordingly the 
viceroy sent a brigade to re-enforce General Seras, 
with orders to renew the attack without delay. 
This brigade then proceeded to attack the front of 
this fortress, whilst General Seras turned the po- 
Bition, to take it in the rear: still, notwithstanding 
the intrepidity and devotion of the assailants, they 
could not sustain the dreadful fire of musketry and 
grape poured upon them by the Austrians. In the 
course of a few minutes. General Roussel's brigade 
had upwards of six hundred men, with thirty-six 
officers, killed and wounded, and was obliged to re- 
tire on his right. General Seras then, rendered al- 
most desperate by his want of success, took the 
resolution to recommence another attack with the 
whole of his troops. After having run through the 
ranks, and animated the courage of the soldiers, 
telling them that the success of the day depended 
entirely upon the last effort they were going to 
make, he ordered the charge to be beaten, and 
putting himself at their head, precipitated himself 
upon this fatal position. Expression would be want- 
ing, to give the details of this terrible attack ; but 
in some minutes the square-house was entered, in 
spite of all the obstacles that surrounded it ; the 



1809.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 69 

walls were scaled, the gates forced open by the 
sappers, and the French, covered with blood and 
dirt, entered the walls. In vain did the Austrian 
grenadiers demand quarter, upon their knees, of 
the conquerors, whose fury knew no bounds : the 
house was burnt, and all that escaped the flames 
perished by the sword. Not one Austrian survived 
this terrible disaster. At four o'clock the victory 
was decisive. Three thousand prisoners, and six 
pieces of cannon, were the result : the enemy left 
three thousand dead on the field. On the following 
day he was closely pursued on the road of Come:n 
and Pest. 

The operations of Prince Eugene, during tliis 
campaign, had placed him in a distinguished rani* 
amongst the first generals of the French armies. 
In the space of two months, he had advanced from 
the shores of the Adige to the Danube. Thirty- 
seven thousand prisoners, twelve standards, nearly 
two hundred pieces of cannon, ammunition, maga- 
zines, &c., were the trophies that he presented tc 
Napoleon, when he came with his valiant troops to 
contribute to the latest success of the grand army. 

Ever since the battle of Essling, the two grand 
armies, French and Austrian, had remained not in- 
active, but without undertakini'' any thing of mo-' 
ment. The army of the archduke, augmented by 
the numerous levies made in Hungary, counted, in 
his ranks upon the left bank of the Danube, up- 
wards of 170,000 men, with nearly 900 pieces of 
artillery. The Austrian general had raisea some 
very strong works opposite the island of Lobau, 
parallel with the Danube, forming a line extending 
from the village of Gros Aspern, and passing 
through the village of Essling, to the little tovvD 



70 



MEMOIRS OF 



1809 



of Enzcrsdorff, The main Dody of the Austrian 
army, established upon soras hills about a mile be- 
hind these intrenchments, had its front covered 
by a running water, the Rasbach, the borders of 
wiiich were fortified with other small works. Na 
poleon had established the greatest pait of his avniy 
in the island of Lobau. This island, about two 
.eagues in circumference, was now become a kind 
of fortified place, nearly covered with works. 
Three bridges were constructed in parallel lines, 
six hundred paces in length. Upon one of these 
three carriages might pass abreast: by these the 
island was connected with the right bank of the 
Danube, and thus a communication with Vienna 
was secured. Stockades, established in different 
directions, protected these bridges against every 
new insult, and even from fire-ships, and other in- 
cendiary machines. On the 1st of July, the French 
army, including the troops marching under the 
viceroy, was from 140 to 150,000 strong. The 
corps who had fought at Essling were encamped at 
Lobau ; the others were distributed between Vien- 
na and Presburg. 

The time was now approaching, when the fate 
of the Austrian monarchy was expected to be de- 
cided by a single battle. The archduke imagined 
the French army would debouch upon the lefto! 
the Danube from the same point as before, and by 
the same means. The emperor, on his part, endeav 
oured to strengthen this supposition, in order to 
draw the attention of this prince from his real ob- 
ject, which was, to render all his works and in- 
trenchments of no se to him. On the 2d of July, 
live hundred voltigeurs passed into the island Du 
Moulin, opposite Essling, and took a position •, thi 



1809.1 NAPOLEON BONAPARTE 7 

island was soc«i joined to the continent by a little 
bridge, in advance of which a,Jleche was construct 
ed. As the emperor wished, this operation attractec 
the attention of the enemy ; and the redoubts of 
Essling directed a brisk fire upon this false point ol 
attack. During the 4th, a large portion of the 
army was collected on the right bank : at ten at 
night, General Ou^inot embarked fifteen hundred 
voltigeurs, on board ten gun-boats, under General 
Conroux, who landed them below the isle of Lo 
bau : some of the enemy's posts were driven back 
upon the village of Muhlleuten. At eleven o'clock, 
a terrible cannonade commenced upon Enzersdorff 
and the enemy's left : the houses at Enzersdorff 
were soon on fire. The enemy's artillery answered 
that of the French with great vigour ; but nothing 
could prevent the passage of the Danube by the 
French. The army was formed ; Massena's corps 
was on the left, those of the prince of Ponte Corvo 
and General Oudinot in the centre, and Marshal 
Davoust upon the right. The army of Italy, under 
the viceroy, the corps of the duke of Dalmatia, the 
imperial guard, and the heavy cavalry, debouched 
successively, to form a second line and the reserves 
The enemy could then perceive the intentions of 
Napoleon: he saw the French army drawn up in 
order of battle upon the left extremity of his line, 
all the works of which were now rendered useless. 
The archduke, compelled to change his front, waa 
obliged to leave his redoubts nearly a mile in his 
rear, and accept battle upon the ground which the 
French emperor himself liad chosen. 

The action ccmmenced between seven and eight 
in the morning. At this moment the batteries tha 
had played upon Enzersdorff all night had comoe' 

V 



72 MEMOIRS OF [1809 

led liie enemy to retire, excepting four battalicna 
lofl to protect the smoking ruins. Colonel St. 
Croix, being sent upon this point, made these bat- 
talions prisoners. General Oudinot then surround- 
ed the castle of Sachsenga.ng, which the enemy 
had fortified, took nine hundred men he found there, 
and twelve pieces of cannon. The emperor then 
made the whole army deploy in the immense plain 
of Enzersdorff. The archduke Charles, thus de- 
ceived in his hopes, ordered several manoeuvres, 
with a view to regain some advantages upon this 
new field of battle. Leaving the main body of hia 
army in their lines ne r the Danube, and behind 
the Rusbach, he detached several columns of infan- 
try, supported by a numerous artillery and all his 
cavalry, to overwhelm the right of the French. 
One of these columns occupied the village of Rut- 
zendorf ; but General Oudinot soon drove them out, 
and Napoleon sent orders to the prince of Echmuhi 
to support his right, whilst he threatened the ene- 
my's left. From noon till nine at night, the French 
continued to manoeuvre in the plain of Enzersdorff, 
and occupied most of the villages in advance of 
Rusbach. Marshal Massena successively seized 
upon the works of Essling and Gros Aspern, while 
the Saxons, under Prince Ponte Corvo, carried the 
village of Raasdorf. At nine o'clock, an attack 
was made upon the Austrian centre at Wagram, by 
Prince Eugene. This position, strongly fortified, 
was soon carried by the th-ee divisions of Pacthod, 
Seras, and Lamarque. The victors had already 
got beyond Wagram, when numerous re-enforce- 
ments sent by the archduke, and the flanking fire 
of many batteries on the right and left, forced Gen- 
eral Macdcnald to retreat. Instead of pursuing 



1809.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 7S 

-he French beyond Wagram, the Austrians were 
satisfied with retaking the position, and remaining 
in it General Macdonald rallied his columns, and 
the whole army bivouacked upon the field of bat- 
tle, waiting with impatience the return of day. 

The operations here described have in some 
narrations been called the battle of EnzersdorflE*'^ 
uut the affair of the 5th of July was in reality only 
the prelude to the great battle that was fought on 
the day following, generally called the battle of 
Wagram. 

Napoleon had employed a part of the night ii 
collecting a strong mass opposite the centre of the 
enemy's line, and within cannon-shot of the village 
of Wagram. Marshal Massena advanced upon the 
left of Atterklau, leaving at Gros Aspern a single 
division, with orders, if necessary, to fall back upor 
the isle of Lobau. Marshal Davoust passed the 
village of Grosshotfen, to approach the French 
centre. Subsequent to the movements of the even- 
ing, the archduke had weakened his centre to re- 
enforce his wings, to which he gave a much greatei 
extent. The right of the enemy's line, upon which 
they had begun to raise fresh redoubts, supported 
by the Danube, extended from Stradlau to Geras- 
dorf, the centre at Wagram, and the left from 
this last village to Markgrafen Neusiedel. 

At day-break the French army was again formed 
and under arms ; the prince of Ponte Corvo and 
Marshal Massena on the left ; Prince Eugene in 
the centre, with the troops of the army of Italy, 
re-enforced by Broussier's division, that had arrived 
from the isle of Lobau ; the corps of Dalmatia, un- 
der General Marmont ; that of the grenadiers and 
voltigeurs united, under General O'-rdinot •• in the 

VOL. IT. "^ 



74 MEMOIRS OF [1809 

rear of these were the imperial guaru and th« 
heavy cavalry, l^rming several lines ; the prince of 
Echmuhl's corps formed the right. The ground 
covered by the two armies was about two le iguea 
in extent. The troops nearest the Danube were 
but twelve hundred fathoms from the city of Vien- 
na, so that tlie towers, the steeples and the tops of 
the highest houses, were covered by the numerous 
population, thus become spectators of the terrible 
contest that was preparing. 

At sunrise, July 6th, the cannonade commenced 
u})on the two lines. At five o'clock, the left of the 
Austrian army, under Pi nee Rosemberg, debouched 
from Markgrafen Neusi«del, whilst the right, com- 
posed of the corps of Generals Beilegarde, Kol- 
lowrath, Lichtenstein, and Hiller, advanced upon 
Stadlau ; Prince Hohenlohe's corps, alone forming 
the centre, remained in its position at Wagram. 
The emperor, perceiving that the prince of Rosem- 
berg was moving against Marshal Davoust, repaired 
in person to the right wing, which he re-enforced 
with the cuirassiers under General Arrighe, and 
caused twelve pieces of light artillery to advance 
upon the flank of the enemy's columns. After an 
obstinate engagement of two hours' duration, Da- 
voust succeeded in repulsing his adversary as far 
as Neusiedel, with considerable loss. 

Whilst the French army thus signalized itseli 
by its success in this part of the field, the battle 
was carried on all along the rest of the line. In 
moving his grand masses to the right, it was the 
intention of the archduke to force the French 
left, and cut off the army from its bridges upon the 
Danube. Thus, at the momeri A'-hen a part of 
his columns were warmly eti«:aged with the princp 



1809.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 75 

of Ponte Corvo and Marshal Massena, he put hun 
self at the head of thirty-five thousand of his besl 
troops, in the space between the main body of Mas- 
Sena's troops and the division he had left at Groa 
Aspern. This mass easily overthrew the feeble 
posts which occurred in its progress, and soon 
threatened the flanks of the French army. The col- 
umns, also, that attacked the left front, made great 
progress : Gros Aspern was carried ; the prince of 
Ponte Corvo's corps, consisting of Saxons and Bava- 
rians, was overthrown and routed. The left wing of 
the French, thus forced, formed in a square, with 
one side facing the Danube. The archduke, pur- 
suing his success, outflanked the French by more 
than half a league. He even pushed parties al 
most up to the bridges. A panic was spread in the 
rear of the French army ; and to the number of 
non-combatants the battle seemed lost: they fled 
with all imaginable speed towards Lobau, carrying 
with them the most alarming rumours. It was 
about nine in the morning, when several officers of 
the staff came to inform Napoleon that the enemy 
had made a furious attack upon Marshal Massena 
and the prince of Ponte Corvo, and that the left 
wing was already outflanked to the extent of nearly 
three thousand toises ; that the enemy deployed nu- 
merous troops, and a formidable artillery, in the 
space that separated Gros Aspern from Wagram. 
Afler having ordered Marshal Davoust to turn the 
position of Neusiedel, and then to proceed to Wa- 
gram, Napoleon hastened to the left, to inquire into 
the real state of affairs. The movement prescribed 
to the prince of Echmuhl was happily executed. 
Whilst the two divisions of Gudin and Pacthod at- 
tacked the village on the right, General M^rand 



76 MEMOIRS OF 1809 

mo^ed on the left of the enemy, whon he turned 
and attacked all at once. He was supported by 
General Friant, who disposed hh troops in echelons 
.•^laving on his left the artilleryof the division, re-en- 
forced by seven twelve-pounders that the emperor 
had caused to advance on th's point. The supe- 
riority of the enemy's forces at first compelled 
Morand's division to give ground ; but Friant's hav- 
ing advanced with a charging pace, the Austrians 
were driven back to their intrenchments, where 
they were forced, and in a few moments the heights 
between Wagram and Neusiedel were crowned by 
the victors. At the same moment, Neusiedel was 
carried by the divisions of Gudin and Pacthod. The 
enemy's left, entirely overthrown, was forced upon 
the centre, and pursued by the four divisions under 
Davoust. The movement upon the heights of Neu- 
siedel was General Friant's own act, and obtained 
the applause of Napoleon. 

When the emperor perceived his light troop 
upon the heights of Wagram, he ordered Marshal 
Massena to make good his positions, and asserted 
that the battle was gained ; at the same time he 
ordered a decisive attack upon the enemy's centre 
by the three divisions of Seras, Broussier, and La- 
marque, under Marshal Macdonald, to be supported 
by the corps under Generals Marmont and Oudinot. 
Marshal Bessieres had also been ordered to move 
with the cavalry of the guard, and that of the re- 
serve, and to make a charge upon the flanks of the 
formidable columns under the archdiJie Charles, 
whilst General Lauriston, at the head of a battery 
of a hundred pieces of cannon, advanced upon a 
tret, without firing, till they came within half sho* 
of the enemy's columns. 



1809 j NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 71 

The enemy presented nine grand masses of in- 
fantry and cavalry, protected by artillery. The 
Austrian cavalry was the first to charge the 
French ; but these, formed in squares, repulsed the 
shock w^ith vigour. The enemy, to avoid being 
turned by the troops under the prince of Echmuhl 
abandoned the heights of Baumersdorf ; these weie 
>icupied by General Pacthod. 

During this time, the hundred pieces of cannon 
under General Lauriston had made great ravages 
in the enemy's right, and reduced his aiti-liery to 
silence. The left wing of the Austrians, hotly 
pursued, hastily retired to Wagram, where they 
hoped they should be able to rally ; but the united 
attacks of the divisions of the prince of Echmuhl 
and General Oudinot gave them no time to form 
again. They retired, but in a manner worthy ot 
the admiration of the brave troops who had com- 
pelled them to make this movement. 

The battle was completely gained. The empe- 
ror, witness to the last and incredible efforts of the 
array of Italy, directed by Macdonaid, was so well 
satisfied, that he thought proper to reward all these 
brave men upon the field of battle, in the person of 
their worthy chief. On the day following the vic- 
tory, and before the army was in motion to pursue 
the vanquished. Napoleon embraced General Mac- 
donaid,' and named him a marshal of the empire, 
The same rank was granted a few days after to 
General Oudinot, and to the duke of Ragusa, foi 
their eminent services. 

In the night between the 6th and 7th, the Aus- 
trian army retired upon Kornenburg and Wolkers- 
^orf, where the emperor Francis had staid during 

\Iie battle. From hence he hastened lo Morav.a 
7« 



''8 • MEMOIRS OF [180^ 

abandoning, as the trophies of his defeat, ti i stand 
ards, forty pieces of cannon, nearly eighteen thou- 
sand prisoners, nine thousand wounded, and a great 
quantity of equipage. His loss in killec amounted 
to about four t'housand. The loss of the French, 
much less than that of the enemy, was six thousand 
wounded, and two thousand six hundred killed. 

The soldiers, of all arms, had rivalled each other 
in intrepidity and glory on this memorable day. 
Napoleon himself had been several times exposed 
in the midst of the most terrible fire. Ever since 
morning he had been running through the different 
lines, encouraging the troops by his presence and 
his persuasive eloquence. Many were killed by 
the balls and bullets that flew about him. It was 
observed, that the enemy's fire was particularly di- 
rected against the groups that environed the em- 
peror. In consequence of this, he was obliged to 
change his surtout three times. 

The Austrian army retreated through Gauners- 
dorf, and the French overtook their rear-guard 
beyond Wolkersdorf, where Napoleon fixed his 
head-quarters in the same house the emperor of 
Austria had occupied on the evemng before. 

On the 11th, at noon, Napoleon arrived before 
Znaim, at the moment the prince of Essling had 
seized upon the bridge at this city. At this time, 
Prince John of Lichtenstein presented himself be- 
fore the French posts to treat for an armistice. 
The emperor received this envoy, who had been 
sent on a similar mission in 1805, and immediately 
ordered the firing to cease. The proposed armis- 
tice was concluded in the night between the 1 1th 
arid 1 2th ; and the principal articles stipulated, that 
he citadels or forts of Brunn and Gratz should ba 



l809.] NAPOLEON BONAPARIE. 79 

evacuated directly by the Austrian troops , that tliey 
should abandon the Tyrol and tlie Voralberg-, and 
g-ive up the fort of Sacksenburg to the French. 
The armistice of Znaim, intended to last only a 
month, was prolong-ed till the month of October 
but, owing to difficulties that occurred, the treaty 
was not signed till the 14th of that month. 

The most important clause in this treaty, and 
which did not form any part of the articles signed 
by the plenipotentiaries, was not intended to be 
made known for a considerable time. Napoleon 
had demanded the hand of the young archdutchess 
Marie Louise, the eldest daughter of Francis II. 
Very great obstacles seemed to oppose this union, 
especially as it was one of the conditions dictated 
by the conqueror ; it was repulsive to the conveni- 
ences, the opinion, and the hereditary pride of the 
house of Austria: however, the emperor of the 
French undertook to smooth the difficulties that ex- 
isted on his side, and the Austrian monarch con- 
sented to the sacrifice demanded. 

It was in vain that a legitimate union, sanctioned 
by time, and consecrated by the solemnity of a co- 
ronation, had associated the fate of Josephine with 
that of Napoleon. Neither the virtues of this lady, 
whom he had placed by his side, nor the gratitude 
that he owed to the first promoter of his fortune, 
could arrest the ambition of the French emperor 
He pretended to be in want of an heir, though he 
had already proposed his brothers as his successors. 
A senatus consulte, on the 16th of December, 1809, 
declared the dissolution of his marriage with Jose 
phine. Tl e church also yielded in its turn. The 
nullity of the marriage, as to any spiritual obliga 
t>on, was likewise pronounced by the offi-ciality o 



so MEMOIRS OF 1809 

Paris. The victim, too, of this determination, whose 
grief sliould have saved her from the humiliation of 
fiijuring- in this business, could rot be excused : she 
was compelled to come forward and declare, " that, 
having no more hope of giving children to her hus- 
band, which would be consistent with his politics, 
she resigned herself to the greatest sacrifice that 
she could possibly be called on to make." 

Two days before the ratification of the treaty of 
Vienna, Napoleon was in danger of assassination, 
during the review of the troops upon the parade at 
Schoenbrunn. A young man, of an interesting 
figure, and of a placid appearance, who had con- 
cealed himself among the spectators, suddenly 
rushed upon the emperor, attempting to strike him 
with a poniard. The prince of Neufchatel arrest- 
ed his arm, and General R*app immediately seized 
the assassin. Napoleon was sufficiently master of 
himself to preserve an unaltered countenance, and 
continued to order the evolutions, as if the in- 
cident that occurred had been of no importance. 
Two days aflerwards the young man suffered death. 

This attempt at assassination is said to have pow 
erfully contributed t^ accelerate the peace with 
Austria, and hasten the return of Napoleon to 
France. 

Napoleop departed from Schoenbrunn on the 
2Tth of October. 

Arrived at Fontainebleau, no preparations had 
been made for the emperor's reception — not even 
& guard was upon duty ; the court and family, how- 
ever, arrived soon after. The court left Fontaine- 
bleau on the following day : the emperor rode U 
Paris without stirrups ; he outstripped all his es 
«or*. ; only one chasseur wpb able to keep up with 



1800.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. SI 

him. In thia manner he arrived at the Tuiile- 

ries. 

Three days after his arrival at Paris, the peace 
was proclaimed with the usual ceremonies. It is 
useless to dwell upon. the enthusiasm with which 
this event was hailed by the French people of all 
classes. The nation had already begun to bo ex- 
tremely weary of the wars, in which the politics of 
their sovereign were continually involving them. 

The year 1809 was distinguished hy the unsuc- 
cessful expedition of Lord Chatham to the island of 
Walobor^Bu 



«2 MEMOIRS OF 1 18 It 



CHAPTER VI. 

^j.iriage of Napoleon with the Archdutchess Ma't-ie Loiiist 
proj)Osed — Anecdotes of ike Imperial Family of Austria — 
Prince Berthier sent to VienTia — Marriage of the Emperor ai 
Paris — Letter from tne neic r2mpresi. to her Vutor at Vienna^ 
Napo.'£on's Remarks on the Conduct of the two Empresses — 
Origin of the Disagreements betiveen Napoleon and the Pope — 
Ferdinand of Spain and Baron Kolly — Holland and other 
Ocftmtries united to tlie French Empire — Bemadotte electea 
Prince royal of Sweden — Birth of the King of Rome — Bona 
parte begins his Plans for the Invasion of Russia. 

The commenceinent of the year 1810 was ren 
dered remarkable by the consummation of a mar- 
riage between Napoleon Bonaparte and the arch- 
dutchess Marie Louise, which had been the subjiect 
of rumour some months before. After Napoteon 
had made himself master of Vienna in 1809, he 
chose the beautiful castle of Schoenbrunn, near 
that city, for his residence , during which he pro- 
ceeded to gratify his curiosity in surveying the 
apartments deserted in haste some weeks before by 
the imperial family. Napoleon, attended by M. 
Meyer, one of the castle inspectors, on entering an 
apartment, observed the portraits of the emperor'a 
children, Marie Louise, Leopoldina, and Clemen- 
tina, when his attention was so powerfully attracted 
by the first, that he asked the inspector if Marie 
Louise was as handsome and agreeable as there 
represented, telling him to state his opinion fairly 
and clearly. This he did with such satisfaction to 
Napoleon, that he ordered the portrait to be put 
into his cabinet, and placed before his writing- 
table. On lea\ing Vienna, he carrfid the portrait 
with him. It is added that, when the proposal o* 



1810] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 88 

a marriage was made to Louise by her father, the 
windows of the room, in which the conversatioD 
tcck place, opened towards the ruined walls and 
fortifications of Vienna. " Can you," said she tc 
the amperor Francis, " give the hand of your be- 
loved child to such a destroyer ?" — " True," said 
Francis, " but the evils you deplore, and all the 
misfortunes of the country, arise from the laws of 
war." In fact, it is stated,, that the importunity 
of the emperor with his daughter was seconded 
by his tears^ which she could not resist, but prom- 
ised to comply with his wishes to their fullest 
extent. 

It is also asserted by the countess Chauclos, 
who v:as present, that the princess Leopoldina, 
then between thirteen and fourteen years of age 
perceiving the aversion of her eldest sister to this 
union, said, " she would be married to Napoleon, to 
deliver them out of their painful situation." 

On the 5th of March, the prince of Neufchatel, 
commissioned to demand the archdutchess Marie 
Louise, made his public entry into Vienna and, on 
the 8th appeared at court in full ceremony, where, 
after approaching the emperor's throne, he an- 
nounced the purport of his message in a short 
speech. The emperor Francis sent for his daugh- 
ter : she appeared, gave her consent, and received 
a portrait of the emperor Napoleon. Afler this, 
the prince of Neufchatel waited on the archduke 
Charles, and communicated to him the desire of the 
empf ror Napoleon, that he would act as his repre- 
sentative in the marriage ceremony. On the 11th 
of March, the nuptials were celebrated at Vienna, 
six in the evening, in the church of the Augus- 
tines; and on tiie 13th, the empress set out foi 



84 MEMOIRS OP [1811 

Paris. At Brannau she was received by the queen 
of Naples ; and she was welcomed ii. all the capi- 
tals through which she passed. The empero* 
Napoleon had repaired to Comi>eigne ; and on the 
day on which she was expected there, he desired 
the king of Holland to go and meet her at Soissons ; 
but, while he stopped in that city, Napoleon changed 
his determination, set out for Compeigne in a ca- 
lash, passed the king of Holland, met the empress, 
and returned to the palace of Soissons whilst his 
brother was still there. 

In the evening of the 28th of March, Napoleon 
re-entered Compeigne with the empress. The civil 
marriage took place at St. Cloud on the 1st of 
April, 1810, and the religious ceremony was sol 
emnized in the chapel of the Louvre on the follow- 
ing day. All the kings and princes assembled in 
Paris were present. 

As this marriage was political, and that almost 
to a degree of cruelty towards the first empress, 
jnany, no doubt, had their suspicion as to whether 
the connexion would prove a happy one. To show 
that it was such, the following letter, written by the 
young archdutchess, has been referred to. The 
old Count Edling had been Marie Louise's pre- 
ceptor at Vienna. In June, 1810, one of he 
chamberlains that accompanied her to Paris re- 
turned to Vienna, and, with other despatches fo! 
the imperial family, was charged by the empresa 
Marie Louise with an autograph letter in German 
to the old count, of which tt e following is a trans- 
'ation : 

" My dear Count Edling, 
»* I have received from } ou so many testiniomes 



ISIO.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 8A 

of your care and affection, that 1 feel an ardent 
desire to inform you by Count Joseph Metternich 
of the particulars of my present situation. When 
1 left you and my friends in Vienna, I saw the good 
people plunged in the deepest sorrow, from the 
persuasion that I was going as a sacrifice to my 
new destination. I now feel it an agreeable duty 
to assure yoj, that, during three months' residence 
at this court, I have been, and am, the happiest 
woman in the world. From the first moment I met 
and saw the emperor Napoleon, my beloved hus- 
band, he has shown me, on every occasion, such 
respectful attentions, with every token of kindness 
and sincere friendship, that I should be unjust and 
ungrateful not to acknowledge his noble behaviour. 

" Believe not, my dear count, that this is written 
by any order of my husband : these sentiments are 
dictated from my heart ; nor has any one so much 
as read the letter. The emperor is at this moment 
by me, but will not look at the contents. He has 
desired me to send you, in his name, the insignia 
of the order of the legion of hanour. Respecting 
your wish to visit me at Paris, my husband and 1 
will be vory glad to see and receive you in the 
month of September at the Tuilleries : we shall ther 
have returned from a little tour. You will then be 
a witness of my satisfaction, which I cannot de- 
scribe to you in this letter. 

"Adieu, my dear and good Count Edling ; re- 
member me to all my beloved family and friends 
tell them that I am happy, and that I thank God foi 
this felicity. God bless and preserve you ; and 
believe me that I remain for ever your affectionate 

« Parrs, June 16, 1810.'* 

"^OL. 11. 8 



86 MEMOIRS OP [1810 

" Let Marie Louise," said Napoleon, " be asked 
with what tenderness and affection I always treated 
her. After her forcible separation from me, she 
ivowed, in the most feeling terms, to ***, her ar- 
dent desire to join me in my exile ; extolled with 
many tears both myself and my conduct to her, and 
bitterly lamented her cruel separation." 

Napoleon asserted, that no woman was more 
astonished than Marie Louise, just after her mar- 
riage, when she observed the few precautions takei 
by him for his own personal safety. When she 
perceived that there were no sentinels except at 
the outer gates of the palace ; that there were no 
lot ds sleeping before the doors of the apartments ; 
that the doors were not even locked ; and that 
there were no guns nor pistols in the room where 
she and the emperor slept — " Why,'' said she with 
astonishment, " you do not take half so many pre- 
cautions as my father, who has nothing to fear." — 
" I am," said Napoleon, " too much of a fatalist to 
take any precautions against assassination." 

In one of the evening walks, in which the em- 
peror used £o indulge while residing at the Briars, 
shortly after Iiis landing at St. Helena, he told Las 
Cases that he had in the course of his life been 
much attached to two women, of very different 
characters : the one was the votary of art and the 
graces ; the other was all innocence and simple 
nature ; and each, he observed, had a very high 
degree of merit. 

The first, in no moment of her life, ever assumed 
a position or attitude that was not pleasing or cap- 
tivating ; it was impossible to take her by surprise, 
or to make her feel the least inconvenience. She 
employed every resource of art to heighten natva'" 



>S10.] NAPOLEON UONAPARTE. 87 

attractions, but with such ingenuity as to render 
every trace of allurement imperceptible. TJie 
other, on the contrary, never suspected that any 
thing was to be gained by innocent artifice. The 
one was always somewhat short of the truth of 
nature ; the other was altogether frank and open, 
and was a stranger to subterfuge. The first never 
asked her husband for any thing, but she was in 
debt to every one ; the second freely asked when 
ever she wanted, which, however, very seldom 
happened, and she neve^- thought of receiving any 
thing without immediately paying for it. Both 
were amiable and gentle in disposition, and strong- 
ly attached to their husband. The emperor de- 
clared, that he had uniformly experienced from 
both the greatest equality of temper, and nxist 
implicit obedience. 

The continual disagreements between Napoleon 
and the late pope, which commenced in 1805, and 
occupied nearly five years, originated in the meas- 
ures adopted by the former for resisting the prog- 
ress of the Russians and the English in Italy, 
and especially in the vicinity of the Ecclesiastical 
States. A coi respondence on this subject was kept 
up during the years 1805 and 1806 The pope 
perpetually spoke of his jurisdiction, and of his 
supremacy over terrestrial powers ; " because," he 
said, "heaven is above earth, spirit superior to 
matter." 

The pope, as well as the people of Rome, enter- . 
tained an opinion that Napoleon was afraid of the 
thunders of the chr.rch ! To dissipate this silly 
idea, he ordered a corps of 6000 men to enter 
^ome, under pretext of proceeding to Naples. 
The emperor caused it to be insinuated, that he 

W 



88 MEMOIRS OF [1810 

would not be impeded in his temporal affairs by anj 
spiritual obst-acles. The court of Rome was now 
thrown into an absolute delirium : monitory letters, 
prayers, sermons, circular notes to the diplomatic 
bodies, &.C., again protracted discussion till the 
commencement of 1808. The emperor then in- 
formed the pope, that, unless his holiness would 
adhere to the federative treaty of the powers of 
Italy within two months, Napoleon would consider 
Charlemagne's grant as null, and would confiscate 
the patrimony of St. Peter. No notice could be 
more explicit , still no regard was paid to it. 

In the beginning of 1809, the fourth coalition 
being declared, the general commanding in Rome 
requested an increase of troops, and if that could 
not be granted, he desired that an end might be 
put to the anarchy of the pontifical government. 
He received orders to assume the government, in- 
corporate the papal troops in the French army 
maintain a good police, but to take care that the 
pope should receive the sums usually paid out of 
the treasury, for the maintenance of his household. 
In the mean while, the French troops in the papa] 
territory not being numerous, and the battle of 
Essling having for a short tiiiie renaered the issue 
ol the war in some degree dubious, the populace 
ot Rome were in a high state of agitation. The 
holy father, shut up in the interior of his palace, 
caused it to be surrounded with barricades, which 
were guarded by several hundred armed men with 
the strictest vigilance. Exasperation between 
these men and tbB French soon became mutual. 
The situation of the pope was dangerous, and 
every moment a rupture was feared ; and as the 
French general could not persuade those about the 



(810.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE 89 

pope, that his holiness would be much more secure 
if guarded only by the sanctity of his character, he 
resolved to act according to the exigencies of the 
case, and remove him to Florence. This restored 
tranquillity to Rome ; but, on the pontiff's arrival at 
Florence, the grand dutchess of Tuscany, being 
persuaded that he had been sent there without the 
order of the emperor, caused him to proceed to 
Turin, where the same motive led the governor- 
general of Piedmont to compel him to proceed to 
Grenoble. 

The emperor Napoleon, then at Vienna, hearing 
what had occurred, sent orders that the pope 
should be treated with all the honours and atten- 
'.lon due to his rank. The turn which the con- 
tention now took produced the first and second 
assemblies of the bishops at the council of Paris, 
the bull of 1811, and finally the concordate of 
Fontainebleau in 1812. The emperor, no longer 
willing to be trifled with by absurd arguments in 
this mixture of spiritual and temporal power, re- 
solved to separate those attributes for ever, and no 
longer permit the pope to be a temporal sovereign. 
The senatus consultum of the 17th of February, 
1810, annexed the states of Rome to the French 
empire, and thus settled the dispute for that time. 

The holy father was at length removed to Fon- 
iainebleau, in order to place him in security against 
any attempt upon his person from sea. Here he 
had always seven or eight French bishops in hia 
suite, and several cardinals, his medical establish- 
ment, his almone:, chaplain, and others. A num- 
ber of carriages belonging to the court were also 
It hia command ; the guards waited on him for the 
8* 



90 MEMOIRS OF [1810 

pass-word every morning, and the grand marshal, 
Duroc, superintended the supply of every thing 
necessary, upon the same footing as the court of 
the Tuilleries. 

The emperor saw the pope hut once after the 
concordate was signed, in company with the em- 
press : they pp,id him the first visit, which he;, 
accordmg to etiquette, returned immediately. 

Napoleon, whilst at St. Helena, speaking of the 
pope, said he was a good man, but a fanatic. 

Another event occurred this year, which, had it 
been attended with the success expected, might 
have produced some singular results. The im- 
nrisonment of Ferdinand of Spain by Napoleon, at 
Valencay in France, has already been noticed. 
Upon the credit of Napoleon we are told, that the 
British government had laid a plan to liberate Fer- 
dinand VII. similar to the one which had already 
effected the escape of the Marquis de la Romana 
from Holstein. The person intrusted with this 
commission assumed the name of Baron de Kolly 
On a sudden this person was seized, and the plan 
frustrated. 

Early in the year 1810, a decree was issued foi 
the re-union to France of all the countries situated 
upon the left shore of the Rhine, and those on the 
right shore to the neighbouring departments. By 
another decree, the islands of ¥^alcheren. South 
and North Beveland, Schurwen, £.nd Tholen, were 
created a department of France, called tl .»t of the 
Mouths of the Scheldt. On the 9th of July 
^.nother decree announced the re-union of Holland 
to France, and Amsterdam was declared the third 
city of the empire. 



iSn j NAPOLEON BONAPARTL 9\ 

Marshal Bernadotte, the prince of Ponte Corvo, 
was this yoar elected by the diet, prince royal, and 
inheritor of the crown of Sweden. 

On the 16th of June, 1811, Napoleon, proceeding 
from the Tuilleries in great state to the palace of 
the legislative body, announced to them the cii- 
curnstance of the birth of his son. 

At the close of this year, it is well known that 
Napoleon, on his return from a tour of observation 
in the Low Countries, began to form plans for the 
execution of his designs against Russia, as the em- 
peror Alexander had for some time past begun to 
deviate from his former adherence to the conti- 
nental system. British produce, in the meanwhile 
found its way to the continent through the Russian 
ports, and thus furnished a similar example to other 
powers, who had hitherto submitted to the restric- 
tions imposed upon them by tl.e conqueror of th 
continent 



MEMOIRS OF 



[1819 



CHAPTER VII. 



Militiiiy Operm ions in Russia and Poland — Napoleon^s Depart' 
ure/rom Paris — Treaty with the Emperor Francis of Austria — 
Causes that led to the War between Russia and France — Pas- 
sage of the Niernen — Battles of Ostrovno — Sufferings of tht 
French — Mischief introduced by Marauding — Battle of Smo 
laisk — Battle of Valutina — General Kutusow takes CcjiimanA 
of the Russians — Battle of Polotsk — Remarks by Genera. 
Kapp and Lucien Bonaparte — Military Movements continued — 
Different Condition oftlie Russian and French Armies — Battle 
of Moskina, or Borodino — The Freiich enter Moscow — Napo 
leon's Account oftlie Burning of thai City — Me solicits Peace, 
and is rejected — Affair of Winkowo — Battles of Malo Jaros- 
lawiiz and Viazma — Setting in of the cold Weather — Re^reai 
of the French A,-my — Arrival upon the Banks of the Berezi- 
na — Battle — Dreadful Passage and Burning of the Bridge-— 
Napoleon at Warsaw — His extravagant Reflections upon his 
Reverses — His Arrival at Paris — His Answer to the Address 
oftlie Senate. 

The military events of 1812, especially m Rus- 
sia and Poland, were of aK unprecedented nature 
in the history of warfare. 

On the 9th of May, Napoleon set off from Paris, 
attended by his " right-hand," Berthier, and accom- 
pam3d as far as Metz by the new empress ; from 
whenc} the royal pair again set out for Dresden, 
where a meeting took place with the emperor and 
empress of Germany, and where these august per- 
eonages remained some time. 

Napoleon, findiKg his armies well advanced, sud- 
denly quitted his imperial festivities at Dresden 
and proceeded on the 7th of June to Dantzick, on 
a tour of military obcservation ; partly in hopes of 
facilitating a meeting which he was endeavouring 
43 procure with the emperor Alexander, but al 



1812.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 9h 

which the ministers of the latter perduaded him not 
to be seen. 

Still anxious to bear down every thing before 
him with a military force, he had negotiated a 
treaty with his father-in-law, by which Austria 
was to furnish 24,000 infantry, 6000 cavalry, and 
60 pieces of artillery, whenever he should call on 
them to act as auxiliaries. 

Without entering at any great length into the 
causes that led to the war between Russia and 
France in 1812, it may be sufficient to observe, 
that, till January, 1811, the negative relations of 
harmony, which tad existed since the peace of 
Tilsit, continued. The cabinet of St. Petersburgh 
had entered into a negotiation with England, Swe- 
den, Austria, and Prussia. For the first time for 
more than an age, the Svvedisli nation seemed to 
have forgotten the reverses of Charles the Twelfth. 
Napoleon, having put his army in motion, notified 
to the emperor Alexander, that he was ready to 
enter into a negotiation upon the points in litigation 
He consented to modify the continental system 
with regard to Russia, and proposed a treaty of 
commerce, which, without annulling the ukase of 
December, 1810, should conciliate the interests of 
both nations. Hitherto facts speak in favour of 
Napoleon ; and, in spitfi of prejudice, it is impossi 
ble not to acknowledge, ^^ this important occasion^ 
a spirit of moderation seldom found among mon 
archs habituated to victory. On the 30th of April 
the Russian ambassador, in answer to these propo 
sals, demanded, as preliminary conditions, the com- 
plete evacuation of the Prussian estates, and all the 
strong places in Prussia, as they were at the firsi 
period f their occupation by the French troops 



04 MEMOIRS OP [1812. 

the diminution of the garrison of Dantzick, and th i 
evacuation of Swedish Pomerania. Napoleon, sup- 
posing the Russian minister had exceeded his in- 
structions, ordered Count Lauriston, his ambassada/ 
at Pelersburgh, to wait upon the emperor Alexan- 
der in person at Wilna ; but this sovereign refused 
tc enter into any explaneition. Arrived upon the 
banks of the Niemen, Napoleon sent Count de 
Narbonne, one of his aids-de-camp, to make a last 
effort ; but this was attended with as little success 
as the former. War was finally declared : its real 
motives originated in the influence that the cabinet 
of St. James had obtained over that of St. Peters- 
burgh, and in the wishes which the latter still in 
dulged, to revenge the humiliation of Russia by the 
French, in the campaign of 1807. 

Napoleon, having repaired to Gumbinnen, quitted 
it on the 20th of June, when the imperial head- 
quarters were established at Wilkowiszki. 

On the 23d of June, 1812, the French army, 
consisting of three hundred and fifty-five thousand 
infantry, fifty-nine thousand five hundred cavalry, 
and nearly twelve hundred pieces of cannon, was 
iii position, and ready to pass the Niemen. 

When the Frencli troops arrived on the banks 
of this river, which, five years before, had been the 
scene of their victories, they raised shouts of joy. 
Napoleon, disguised as a chasseur, proceeded to the 
ad' anced posts in company with General Ilaxo, 
reconnoitred the banks of the river, and gave ordera 
for throwing bridges over it. The pontons were 
laid at midnight, and at one o'clock the army was 
on the right bank of the Niemen, and General Fajo] 
took possession of Kowsno without a blow. A few 
pulk« of Cossacks were seen blending with the lin« 



1812.] NAPOLEGN BONAPARTE. 9d 

of the horizon, and the French, advancing thrcuga 
Lithuania, arrived at Wilna, where they found ita 
immense magazines in flames, which they extin- 
guished, and saved the greater part of the pro 
visions. 

On the 25th of July, General Nansouty, with tJie 
divisions under him, came up with the enemy within 
two leagues of Ostrowno. The battle commenced ; 
the Russian cavalry, a part of which belonged to 
the guard, was overthrown. The enemy's batteries 
were carried by the French cavalry ; and the Rus 
sian infantry, that advanced to support their artil 
lery, was hroken and sabred, and the enemy com 
pelled to retire, after sustaining a considerable loss 
On the 26th, in the morning, the army continuing 
to advance, another obstinate combat took place a 
league beyond Ostrowno, where the French ad- 
vanced guard engaged with the corps of Osterman, 
which was beaten at all points, and forced to re- 
treat. 

On the 27th, the French, under Prince Eugene 
and the king of Naples, attacked the enemy's posi- 
tions, and he was driven across the plain, beyond 
a small river which enters the Dwina below 
Witespk. The army took a position on the banks 
of this river, a league distant from the town 

The enemy displayed in the plain 15,000 cavalry 
and 60,000 infantry. A battle was expected next 
day • the Russians boasted that this was their wish. 
The emperor spent the night in reconnoitring the 
field, and in making his dispositions for the next 
day ; but at day-break the Russian army was re- 
treating in all directions towards Smolensk. 

On the 28th, at day-break, the French entered 
VVitespk, a town of thirty th^usinu inhabitants, and 



96 MEMOIRS OF [1812, 

containing twenty convents. Some magaizinea 
particuiarl}^ one of salt, were found here, of con 
siderable value. 

Previously to the arrival of the French troops at 
VVilna, the roads had been broken up ; the men 
were losing themselves in the mud, and already 
perishing in the bogs and quagmires of Pultusk 
from hunger and fatigue. Ten thousand horsea 
died in the course of a few days ; the soldiers, con- 
tinually sliding on the clayey ground, were ex- 
hausted in fruitless endeavours to proceed. Un- 
able to keep up, many lagged behind, especially 
the allies. Many, probably, as well as some of the 
generals, foresaw that the issue of the war would 
be disastrous. But after leaving Wilna, the French 
soldiers that could not keep up with their corps 
visibly increased ; they even encumbered the rear. 

In consequence of the wretched state of want, tc 
which the country was reduced by the war, the 
different corps of the French were allowed to make 
excursions, to provide for themselves from what 
they could obtain from the inhabitants. The whole 
army soon after received an order to furnish them- 
selves with provisions for fifteen days. In execut- 
ing this, it was impossible to avoid great abuses 
and enormous dilapidations ; the emperor's orders 
were only executed upon paper, and from that 
which the military commissi«4ners laid before him, 
he was made to believe that the army was ampi^ 
provided with subsistence till the 25th of August, 
and the maixU to Smolensk was determined upon. 
However, at this cpooh the French army waa 
already reduc^^d tD two thirds of the effective force 
Vhat passed the rnc Niemen. 

The French army wad agaip put in motion on 



1812,] JNAPOTEON BONAPABTE. 97 

whe lOlh of A igust and, having- defeated the enenij 
in several engagements, on the 15th Napoleon had 
his head-quarters at Korytnia. Lubna was occu 
pjed by Marshal Ney. On the 16th, the marshal 
appeared before Smolensk. The Russians occupied 
this town to the number of thirty thousand men ; the 
rest were on the other side of the Dnieper, or Bo- 
rysthenes, with which they had a communication 
by three bridges above the town. Every tiling 
was disposed to repel the expected attack, and the 
emperor Alexander had given positive orders to the 
Russian general to give the French battle, and, if 
possible, to save Smolensk. 

On the 17th, at two in the afternoon, seeing that 
the enemy obstinately refused to give battle before 
the town, and that, in opposition to the orders of 
their sovereign. Bar kl ay's intention was to defend 
himself within the walls, Napoleon determined upon 
an attack. He would not lose his time in waiting 
for a battle, nor weary the patience of his soldiers, 
whose ardour was extreme, and who, by their usual 
cries of Vive Vtmpereur^ demanded the signal for 
battle. 

At three o'clock the cannonade commenced all 
along the line : at half past four this was followed 
by a brisk fire of musketry, and at five all the 
Buburbs were carried with the utmost coolness and 
intrepidity, and the Russian troops forced into the 
covered way. On the left. Marshal Ney attacked 
the position which the enemy had taken out of the 
town, seized it, and pursued the fugitives to the 
glacis. 

At six o'clock the communication of the town 
with the right bank became difficult, and could only 
be accomplished by isolated men. Three breach 

VOL. II. 9 



BS MEMOIRS OF [1812 

ing batteries of twelve pounders were placed 
against the walls ; and the enemy was driven frona 
ail the towers by howitzers which played upon 
them. Two companies of miners were attached to 
the ramparts. The Russian general, seeing the 
impossibility of holding oat longer, and not willing 
to expose six divisions of his army to the danger of 
an assault, took the resolution of evacuating the 
place. At seven o'clock this movement commen- 
ced, and one hour after midnight all the Russian 
divisions were upon the other side of the Dnieper. 
At two o'clock the grenadiers, who first mounted 
the walls, no longer found resistance. The place 
was evacuated ; the victors found there two hun- 
dred pieces of cannon. General Korff, who com- 
manded the Russian rear-guard, set fire to several 
parts of the town, and, when he thought the flames 
had made sufficient progress, he destroyed the last 
remaining bridge, and took a position in the sub- 
urbs. 

The battle of Smolensk cost the Russians up- 
wards of four thousand killed, and seven thousand 
wounded ; two thousand of the latter, left in Smo- 
lensk, were made prisoners. The French had 
twelve hundred killed, and nearly three thousand 
wounded. 

On the 19th, Korff set fire to the four corners of 
the lower town, which, being built of wood, waa 
entirely consumed. After this the Russian general 
retired with his rear-guard. 

Having re-established the bridges, the French 
pursued the enemy, whom they overtook at one 
o'clock. At Valutina Gora, the Russians, to the 
number of thirty-six thousand, were attacked, and, 
after a hard fought battle, were obliged to cop 



1812.] NAP«LEON bOWAPARTE. 99 

tinue their retreat They had eight thoiisaiid n en 
killed and wounded, including several generals, and 
one thousand prisoners. The French did not 
reckon above throe thousand men killed and 
wounded. 

Whilst the Russians retreated upon Borodino, the 
French continued to advance. Napoleon, having 
organized at Smolensk the second grand depot, di- 
rected his army to Dorogobuj, where he arrived 
with his guard on the 25th. Two engagementa 
of little consequence occurred on the 26th and 
27th : the Russians were beaten. Barklay then 
fell back upon Viazma ; but, not judging his posi- 
tion sufficiently strong, he determined upon taking 
another near Tzarewow Zalomicth. Here Kutu- 
sow took the command of the two armies of the 
west. The Russian general moved to Borodino on 
the 1st of September, where, as usual, the Russians 
began intrenchments, which they generally left in- 
complete. 

The operations of the sixth and tenth corps of 
the French army, under the duke of Reggio, con- 
sisted of the combat of Swolna, the battle of 
Polotsk, the affairs of Grafenthal, Olai, &c. At 
Swolna the Russians obtained an advantage on the 
10th of August ; but tnis did not prevent the duke 
from remaining in position till the 13th, when, 
learning that Wittgenstein had received re-en- 
forcements, he fell back upon Polotsk, arid was 
joined by the sixth corps under Gouvion St. Cyr. 
On the 17th, the Russians deployed in the plain, 
and made several vigorous attacks upon the French 
but were each t'Tfie repulsed. The duke of Reg- 
gio, badly wounded by a small cannon shot in the 
shoulder, gave up the command to St. Cyr wh<J 



100 MEMOIRS OP 1811 

immediacely resolved on resuming the offensive. 
Before night, Wittgenstein, forced at all points, 
began his retreat upon Bielaia. 

The marshal duke of Tarentum, having razed 
the fortifications at Dunabourg, abandoned that 
place, and approached with his right wing to Ja- 
kobstadt, whilst a Prussian corps occupying Mittau 
observed Riga. On the 26th of August, General 
Lewis was beaten near Grafenthal by the Prussian 
troops, and on the following day was forced to 
swim over the Dwina. Tlie Russians were not 
less unfortunate at Sclock ; and the Prussian troops 
entered into the positions which they occupied be- 
fore these useless attempts had been made by 
General Essen, the governor of Riga. 

General Rapp was often called upon for reports 
respecting the affairs of Russia and the army, and 
especially as to what course Prussia or Germany 
would adopt in case of the failure of an expedition 
to the other side of the Niemen ; when this gene- 
ral candidly assured Napoleon, that, if he should 
experience reverses, he might be assured the Prus- 
sians and Germans would all rise in a mass to throw 
off the French yoke ; a crusade against France 
would be set on foot. " All your allies," said he, 
will abandon you : even the king of Bavaria, on 
whom you place so much reliance, would join the 
coalition. I make an exception only in favour of 
the king of Saxony ; he, perhaps, would remain 
faithful to you ; but his subjects would compel hira 
to make common cause with your enemies." 

But even from his nearest relatives. Napoleon 
had received admonitions of a similar kind. His 
brother Lucien was the most determined opposei 
of all his ambitious viows and plans. One daj 



1812. J NAPOLEON BON>.PARTE. 101 

while they were warmly disputing, Lucien irew 
out his watch, and, dashing it violently on the 
ground, he addressed to his brother Napoleon 
these remarkable words : " You will destroy your- 
self, as I have destroyed that watch ; and the time 
will come, when your family and friends will not 
know where to shelter their heads." 

The French army recommenced its march on 
the 4th of September, and encamped on the same 
day at the village of Gridnowo. On the following 
day, at two ii^ the afternoon, they arrived within 
sight of the Russians. 

The emperor, having reconnoitred the enemy's 
position, immediately ordered the attack. General 
Compans advanced upon Alexino, which was carri- 
ed at two in the- afternoon. At the same time. 
Prince Poniatowsky chased the Russians from the 
wood of Jelnai. During this time the batteries of 
a redoubt kept up a murderous fire upon the French 
masses. General Compans cannonaded this re- 
doubt for a short time, and then advanced with 
great resolution : the battle became obstinate ; the 
redoubt was taken and retaken three times, but at 
length remained with the French, who purchased 
this success with the loss of 1000 men. General 
Compans afterwards threw another Russian division 
into disorder, and the combat was over about nine 
at night. The Russians lost some prisoners and 
j€7en pieces of cannon. 

The whole of the 6th passed in reconnoitring 
and in making preparations on one side and the 
other. 

The continual marches, the want of subsistence, 
the distance of the French from theli reserves, had 
9* 



102 



MEMOIRS OF 



[1«112 



reduced the effective number of Napoleon's army 
equally low as that of the Russians : both might be 
estimated at one hundred and thirty thousand each. 
But, tl^ough their numerical force might be nearly 
equal, there was an enormous difference in their 
moral dispositions. The Russians, for instance, 
were within twenty-six leagues of their ancient 
capital, fighting on their own ground ; they wore 
abundantly supplied with provisions, and, in case of 
reverse, a certain retreat was open ; new suc- 
cours avv-aited them ; they had taken up arms to 
resist the most odious aggression, and they were 
going to shed their blood for their country, and all 
that was dear to them. What motives could be 
more powerful ? The French, on the other hand, 
transported live hundred leagues from their country, 
to accomplish the designs of a single individual, 
had been for a long time a prey to the most cruel 
privations. Even if conquerors, the forces they 
had before them were not the only ones they had 
to encounter. Surrounded on all sides by the most 
cruel enemies, or by allies of a doubtful character, 
their success, after all, could only lead to a dis- 
astrous retreat ; but, if conquered, what prospect 
remained for them but to die in a foreign land, 
under the torments of famine, or in the anguish of 
a long slavery ! however, they prepared for the 
combat without either calculating upon the chaj.^es 
of a defeat or the results of victory. 

On the 7th, at three o'clock in the morning, the 
emperor was surrounded by the marshals in the 
position taken on the preceding eveFing. At half 
past five the sun rose without clouds ; it had rained 
t}«e precedino" evening. " This fs the sun of A us- 



iHJ2.] NA.»OLEON BONAPARTE. lOi 

teilitz !" said the emperor. The army accepted 
the augury ; the drum beat, and the following" illu- 
Bory order of the day was read : 

" Soldiers I Behold the field of battle you have so 
much desired ! henceforth victory depends on you ; 
it is necessary to us ; it will give us plenty ; good 
winter quarters, and a speedy return. Behave 
yourselves as you did at Austerlitz, at Friediand, at 
Witespk and Smolensk, that the Latest posterity 
may speak of your conduct this day with pride, and 
may say of each of you, ' He was at that great 
battle under the walls of Moscow.' " 

The army answered with the repeated acclama 
tions of Vive Vempereur ! At six in the morning, a 
cannon-shot from a battery on the right gave the 
signal for battle. 

Tlie obstinacy both of the attack and the de- 
fence in the conflict which ensued, rendered it one 
of the most sanguinary description. More than 
sixty thousand cannon-shots were discharged on 
each side. The Russians lost sixty pieces of ar- 
tillery, and upwards of thirty thousand men killed 
or wounded, including thirty-five generals : two 
generals were taken, with five thousand prisoners. 

On the part of tlie French, the loss was not less 
than twenty thousand men killed and wounded. 
The generals of division, Montbrun and Caulin- 
court, the generals of brigade, Plauzonne, Huard, 
Compere, Marion, and Lepel, were killed ; and 
among the wounded generals vvcre Nansouty, 
Grouchy, Rapp, Compans, Dessaix, Morand, La 
^oussayf?, and others. 

Such was the issue of the battle to which Napo 
leon gave the name of Moskwa, or Mojaisk, ana 

X 



104 MEMOIRS OP [181i 

the Russians that of Borodino, as this village was 
the centre of their position. 

Kutusow, in the night following the battle, made 
a precipitate retreat towards Moscow, preceded by 
a convoy of twenty thousand wounded, and arrived 
under the walls of that city on the 13th, which he 
entered on the 14th, and passed through, taking 
the route to Kolumna. He was followed by Ros 
topchin and the authorities of the place. The de 
termination to sacrifice Moscow had evidently beei 
adopted a considerable tune, though carefully con- 
cealed from the greatest number of its unhappy 
inhabitants. The departure of Kutusow and his 
army was the signal for the burning of the ancient 
capital of the czars. 

On the 14th, about noon, the king of Naples 
entered Moscow : arrived near the Kremlin, the 
French troops were received with a warm fire of 
musketry from the ramparts : this was given by a 
handful of the wretched inhabitants, who, in their 
despair, imagined they could arrest the progress of 
the French army. The gates of the Kremlin were 
soon forced, and the feeble defenders of the palace 
dispersed. Then the king of Naples traversed the 
city, and passed out of the barrier of Kolumna. 
The empciror entered on the same day, and was 
lodged at the Kremlin, around which the imperial 
guard established itself. 

Of the burning of Moscow, Napoleon gave the 
falowing account : " We were in hopes of enjoying 
ourselves in winter-quarters, with every prospect 
of success in the spring. Two days after our arri- 
val, a fire was discovered, which created very little 
*larm, as it was supposed to have been caused by 
».He soldiers makino- their fires too near the houses ' 



1812.) NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. ll»0 

TJiis increased the next day, and on the thif d day 
Napoleon went in person to give orders as to the 
means of stopping its progress. On the fourth day, 
in the morning, a violent wind caused the flames to 
spread with the greatest rapidity. Some hundreds 
of Russians had disposed themselves in diffeient 
parts of Moscow, and, concealing matches under 
their cloaks, set fire to as many wooden houses to 
windward as they could. Every effort to extinguish 
the fire was now ineffectual. Napoleon, intending 
to show an example, ventured into the midst of th« 
flames, but had his hair and eye-brows singed, hia 
clothes burnt off his back, and narrowly escaped 
with his life. He said he was prepared for every 
thing but this terrible conflagration, which ruined 
all. Several of the inhabitants perished in their 
endeavours to stop this calamity, and brought num- 
bers of the incendiaries with their matches before 
the French, who had about two hundred of them 
shot. ' Napoleon owned that he was five days too 
late in quitting Moscow, and that several of his 
generals were burnt out of their beds. He him- 
self remained in the Kremlin till it was surrounded 
by flames. He then retired to a country-house of 
Alexander's, about a league from Moscow, where 
the heat was so intense, that persons could scarcely 
Dear their hands upon tlie walls and windows on the 
side next Moscow. " It was," he said, " the specta 
cle of a sea and billows of fire, a sky and clouds 
of flame ; mountains of red rolling flames, like im- 
mense waves of the sea, alternately bursting forth 
and elevating themselves to skies of fire, and then 
sinking into the ocean of flame below. Oh, it waa 
the most grand, the most sublime, the most terrific 
eight the world ever beheld ! !" 



L 



10 & MEIvfoiRs OP [1812 

To the premature cold, and the burning of Mos- 
cow, Napoleon attributed his failure in Russia. 

Napoleon indulged the hope that Russia, dis- 
couraged by the loss of its ancient capital, and the 
euccessive defeats she had sustained, would not 
now refuse to enter into negotiations to establish 
the bases of a solid and durable peace. The em- 
peror made choice of General Lauriston, his late 
ambassador to the court of Petersburgh, to be the 
bearer cf such as he deemed moderate propositions, 
considering the critical circumstances in which 
Russia was placed. General Lauriston arrived at 
Kutusow's head-quarters. A suspension of arms 
was agreed to, which would require three hours' 
notice previous to the recommencement of hos- 
tilities. Alexander's known generosity and hu- 
manity would probably have at once decided upon 
putting a stop to the effusion of blood ; but he 
yielded to the predominant sense of his own people 
and the counsels of his allies, which were in favour 
of prosecuting the war. 

Here we must necessarily pass over the opera- 
tions under Marshal Macdonald in Eastern Prussia, 
and those of other corps in Lithuania, upon the 
Bug ; those of the prince of Schwartzenberg, &c, 
in which Napoleon was not personally concerned. 

The suspension of arms continued till the 17tb 
of October, when several corps of the Russian array 
approached the advanced posts of the king of Na- 
ples, and took a position en the banks of the Nara. 
Benmgsen, who command ed them, passed the river 
at midnight, and advance^! in three columns ujfon 
the higJi road to Moscow. In the battle of Win 
kowo, that fclloved, both sides fought with the 



1812.1 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



101 



gri3atest fury : the French lost more khan two 
thousand men. 

The French army, now reduced to less than half 
of its original number, did not reckon more than a 
hundred thousand men in its ranks, who were di- 
minishing every day through sickness and want. 
The most numerous regiments of cavalry had not 
more than a hundred horses, and the audacity of 
the Cossacks hourly increased. Napoleon was 
therefore induced to quit Moscow, for the purpose 
of seeking a more advantageous position in a coun- 
try from whence some resources might probably be 
drawn. 

The battle of Malo Jaroslawitz was fought on 
the 24th and 25th of October, and was ranked 
among the most brilliant exploits of the campaign. 
The Russians had between eight and ten thousand 
men killed and wounded, and the French lost four 
thousand. In the battle of Viazma, that followed 
soon after, the French lost four thousand men. 

When the French army had reached Dorogubuj, 
the cold began to set in ; the ground was covered 
with a deep snow ; ditches, roads, and fields soon 
disappeared, and the soldier had no other track to 
follow than the heaps, formed in the snow, of the 
mnumerable bodies of those who had preceded him. 
Those who had tlirown away the arms which their 
frozen members would not permit them to carry, 
wandered they knew not whither ; they frequently 
expired with cold and misery in sight of their 
comrades, who never approached them but to seize 
Hpon any thing they had about them. The fate ol 
those who had retained their arms was not less se- 
Pere : they were compelled to be continually on 
the aiert to repulse the clouds of Cossacks thai 



108 



MEMOIRS OF 



[1812 



hovered about them, and who, though dispersed bj 
the firing of a few muskets, would return the mo- 
ment after. 

Napoleon acknowledged, that, on his retreat froia 
Moscow, the thermometer fell eighteen degrees. 
In one night the French lost thirty thousand 
horses ; neither ammunition nor provisions could 
be carried, and the artillery, amounting to about 
five hundred pieces, was nearly abandoned. The 
soldiers, he said, lost their spirits and their senses, 
and fell into confusion. Four or five Russians 
were sufficient to terrify a whole batta,lion. Par 
ties sent out on duty in dvance, instead of keeping 
together, wandered about in search of fire, or got 
into the houses to warm themselves, and fell an 
easy prey to the enemy. Others lay down, fell 
asleep ; a little blood came from their nostrils, and 
they died. 

But, notwithstanding the unheard-of distresses 
that continually weighed upon the French army 
they still continued to consider INapoleon as the 
palladium that was to save them. His presence 
frequently electrified the most dejected ; the sight 
of their sovereign marching with them on foot, and 
cheerfully partaking of all their privations, seldom 
failed to excite a momentary enthusiasm similar to 
that of the days of victory. 

The retreat of the French army may be said t« 
have been begun on the 19th, for on the 23d Na- 
poleon himself was at Borosk, by what he called a 
flank movement. 

To follow Napoleon and the various divisions of 
Uis army, step by step throughout the whole of theii 
manifold sufl'e rings, would fill a volume ; suffice it 
f-o state, that early in November the viceroy Beau 



IS 12- J NaPOLEON BONAPARTE. IOC 

harpois, with his division, was driven upon SmoleULl. 
About the 9th of Noyember, Napoleon himself t«r- 
rived at Smolensk, where he fixed his head-quar- 
ters, but could not muster more than sixty thousand 
men, though he left Moscow with eighty thousand 
at least. On the 13th he continued his retreat 

The rapidity of Napoleon's flight enabled him to 
reach Orcha in sufficient time to allow of his halting 
till the 20th, whilst some of the divisions of hia 
army were concentrating upon his line of retreat. 

Napoleon arrived at the river Berezina with his 
army in two distinct bodies, but found all the 
bridges broken down. Whilst the French were 
endeavouring to construct a temporary bridge for 
the occasion, the Russian General Wittgenstein 
had ordered Platoif to push forward towards Bern- 
eoff, whilst he himself, about the 26th, advanced 
towards Vesselovo and Studentze, where Napoleon 
was erecting two bridges. Studentze was first 
attacked and carried, and the whole of the French 
troops made prisoners. When it was ascertained 
that Napoleon was " not there, Platoff* was sent 
across the river to join Tchitchagoff, whilst Witt- 
genstein proceeded towards Vesselovo. But the 
moment that Napoleon's bridge in this quarter was 
passable, he ordered over a sufficient number of hia 
guards to ensure his safety, and then pass'ing it 
with his principal officers, he was followed by a 
promiscuous crowd* of soldiers, who succeeded in 
such numbers, that the way was soon choked up so 
completely as to preclude all order or progress. In 
this situation, the Russians arrived ; when hun- 
dreds of the French threw themselves into the 
rver, and the whole scene became tliat of the raost 
tumultuous horror. Besides, as orders were givcii 

VOL. H. 10 



110 



MEMOIRS OP 



[i8ia 



to set fire to the bridge, great rmnbers fell a 
Eacrifice to this dreadful mana3uvre. it undoubt- 
edly ensured Napoleon's personal escape, but it 
threw the whole of the army on the other side into 
tliC hands of the Russians, 

All these misfortunes were followed by the 
known retreat of the Austrian prince Schwartzen- 
berg, tiie treason of the Prussian general D'Yorck, 
and the defection of General Meissenbach, whilst 
the duke of Tarentum, with the wretched remains 
of one of the French corps in a most distressed 
condition, shut themselves up in Dantzick, which 
was soon after strictly 1 bckaded by the Russians. 

On the 5\h of December, the head-quarters were 
at Smorgoni : in this village, after the emperor had 
called a council, consisting of the king of Naples, 
the viceroy, and the principal generals, he deter- 
mined to return to France to create new resources 
The king of Naples, nominated his lieutenant-gene- 
ral, took the command of the army. All the 
geiierals agreed in the propriety of the emperor's 
immediate return to France. 

The French army had not been collected at 
Wilna twelve hours before the enemy's cannon 
vfas heard. As soon as the Russian corps had 
formed, they attacked General Loison's corps, who, 
notwithstanding, succeeded in covering the march 
of a column uf the fifth corps, consisting of Poles, 
unarmed men, and stragglers. About thr3e in the 
morning, the last of the French that could mo^e 
left Wilna. At five, after a most painful march, 
they reached the mountain of Vaka, scarcely a 
league from Wiina, which being covered with ice, 
rendered it impossible for the carriages to pass, by 
preventing tJie horses from obtaining any foot-liold 



1812.] NAIOLEON BONAPAIITE. Ill 

As this eminence could not be turned, it was found 
necessary to abandon tlie baggage, and the impe- 
rial treasure, containing upwards of five millions in 
gold and silver. 

However afflicting the following details may be, 
we cannot consistently dispense with retracing the 
picture at this time presented by the greatest part 
of the French army before and after its arrival 
upon the Berezina. Generals, officers, and soldiers, 
were all in the same condition, confounded one 
with another. Cavalry, infantry, and artillery, mixed 
together, and got on as well as they could. Most 
of them carried on their shoulders a bag of meal, 
whilst a pot hung from their sides, attached to a 
cord. Others proceeded, holding the bridles of 
their starved horses, carrying their kitchen materi- 
als, and sometimes the remains of their wretched 
provision. The horses themselves were the best 
provisions this army had ; for when they fell down 
quite exhausted, they became food for their masters, 
who seldom suffered the breath to go out of the 
body before they tore the flesh from them with the 
utmost greediness. As almost every corps in the 
army was in a state of dissolution, a number of 
little bodies were formed out of the wrecks of the 
regiments, consisting of eight or ten individuals, 
who agreed to march together, and amongst v/hom 
what they had was shared in common. Some of 
these had a horse among them to carry their bag- 
gage or cooking utensils, besides which every 
member had his wallet. The little communities, 
entirely separated from the mass, were unanimous 
in repulsing any unhappy individual who might 
wish to join them. Eacli of these companies 
marched as closely as possible, and they took the 






112 



MEMOIRS OP 



[1812. 



greatest care not to be separated from each other. 
Wo to any one who had lost his party ! No on& 
would take the least interest in his case, or show 
him any favour ; on the contrary, such persons were 
ill-treated, or driven away even from the lirea 
lighted on the route, or any other place of refuge 
end, in fact, never ceased to be objects of persecu- 
tici: till they found their own party, or perished for 
want. Let the reader, if possible, figure to him- 
self sixty thousand of these unfortunate beings, 
each with his wailet on his shoulders, walking with 
sticks to support them ; their bodies covered with 
rags of all colours, swarming with vermin, and 
delivered up to all the horrors of famine. Let ua 
figure to ourselves these pale beings, or rather 
spectres, covered with dirt, and blackened by the 
smoke of the bivouacks, or night fires, with long 
beards, hollow eyes, and dishevelled hair, and, after 
all, we shall have only a faint picture of this 
wretched army. 

Here were some, quite undermined by the long 
duration of their diseases and by famine, sunk under 
the weight of their misfortunes ; there were others 
attacking a miserable straggler, who was supposed 
to have some provision about him, in spite of his 
resistance or horrid imprecations. On one side 
miglit be heard the noise made by the horses and 
carriages crushing the bones of bodies whose flesh 
had been stripped before : on the other, the cries 
and groans of those victims, whose strength having 
quite failed, they had lain down and given them- 
selves up to death. Farther on, groups might be 
seen collected round a dead horse, and fighting for 
the remnants into which it had been cut ; whilst 
others, thrusting their hands into the carcass, tore 



1^1 2.J NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 113 

out the heart and entrails. Even night-fall only 
brought with it a temporary and precarious interval 
of sleep, from which it was the fortune of many 
never more to awaken. 

At night, it was the care of every one, howevef 
exhaiistedj to find some kind of lodging, at least a 
shelter from the weather, and the keen biting of 
the north-east wind. Of course houses, barns, 
sheds, &c., were soon filled in such a manner that 
it was with difficulty that any one could enter in or 
out. Such as could gain no admittance into these 
places took up their abode behind walls, or any sort 
of shelter. The first duty was to procure wood 
and straw for their bivouacks ; for this purpose 
they scaled the houses, carrying away the roofs, 
and, if these were not sufficient, the joists and the 
girders, the partitions, or the house altogether, in 
spite of those who might attempt to resist this 
violence ; and if the first possessor m.aintained hia 
ground, it wa.€. at the hazard of being burnt to death. 

It was impossible to get water, as both ponds 
and marshes v/ere continually frozen ; and to make 
their bouilU, they used to melt a sufficient quantity 
of snow in a pot, and dilute it as well as they could , 
but, after all, it was black and muddy. When it 
was thickened with such meal as they had, as salt 
could not be obtained, in the room of this they threw 
in tw ) or three cartridges, which at least gave the 
mess some kind of taste, though it increased the 
colour to a deep black. The repast upon this and 
the broiled slices of horse-flesh being finished, each 
guest placed himself round the fire, and sought iii 
sleep for some mitigation of his misery. 

When Napoleon arrived at Warsaw, on the 10th 
of December, instead of proceeding to the pa'aco 
10* 



Il4 MEMOIRS OF [181^ 

he put up at the hotel d'Angleterre, from whence 
M. Caulincourt was despatched to summon the ap 
pea ranee of the Abbe de Pradt. the ambassador ta 
Poland. 

" I hurried out," says De Pradt, " and arrived at 
the hotel about half past one o'clock. A few 
Polish gens (Tarmes guarded the gate ; the master 
of the hotel examined me, hesitated a little, and 
then allowed me to pass. I saw a small carriage 
body placed on a sledge made of four pieces of fir 
it had stood some crashes, and was much damaged. 
Two open sledg.es there had served for the con- 
^'^'yance of General Lefebvre Desnouettes, another 
officer, the Mameluke Roustan, and a valet. This 
was all that remained of so much grandeur and 
magnificence. I thought I beheld the v/inding- 
sheet carried before the great Saladin. The door 
of a room on the ground-floor was mysteriously 
opened. A short parley took place : the duke of 
Vicenza came, introduced me to the emperor, and 
left me with him. He was in a cold, small, lower 
apartment, and had the window-shutters half closed, 
the better to conceal his incognito. An awkward 
Polish servant continued blowing a fire of green 
wood, v/hich, resisting her efforts, diffused far more 
water over the stove than heat in the apartment. 
The emperor, according to his custom, was walking 
about, wrapped up in a superb pelisse, lined with 
green, and with magnificent gold brandenburghs. 
He had on a kind of fur cap, and his boots were 
S-lso surrounded with fur. ' Ah, monsieur the am- 
bassador,' said he, smiling — I approached, and a,d' 
dressed him thus : ' You look well : you have made 
me very uneasy ; but at length you are here : I 
a.m iiappy to see you.' — -' How are you off in th'» 



iHl2] NAPOI'KON UOIMAPARTE. Mfl 

feMintr/ ?' said le I dbsGiibijd to him the actna! 
elate of the dutchy, spoke to him of the distress of 
the Poles. He asked with vivacity, 'Who haa 
mined th?m?' I replied, 'What has been doing 
for these six years : the scarcity of last year, and 
the contin-ental system, deprive them of all con> 
merce.' At tliese words his eyes were lig-hted up. 
He proceeded — ' Where are the Russians ?' I told 
him — ' And the Austrians ?' — ' I have not heard of 
them for a fortnight' — ' General Reynier ?' — ' Nor 
of him neither.' — I spoke to him of the Polish army. 
' I have seen none of them,' said he, ' during the 
campaign.' — I explained the reason of that, and 
why the dispersion of the Polish forces had at last 
rendered an army of eighty-two thousand men 
invisible. He said, ' We must raise ten thousand 
Cossacks : a lance and a horse are sufficient for 
them — with that force the Russians may be stop- 
ped.' 

" We met again at the hotel d'Angleterre at 
three o'clock ; he had just risen from table. — ' How 
long have I been in Warsaw ? — Eight days — No, 
only two hours ;' said he, smiling, v;ithout any 
preamble or preparation — '■from Ihe sublinie to the 
ridiculous there is hut a step.'' In the course of 
ihis conversation he said, ' Agitation is life tc me : 
the more trouble I have the better I am. None 
but sluggard kings fatten in their palaces. Horse- 
back and camps for me. — You are very much 
alarmed here.' — ' It is because we only know what 
public rumour informs us.' — ' Bah ! the army is 
Buporb I have 120,000 men : I always bea* the 
Russians. I am going to raise three hundred 
thousand men. Success will render the Russiang 
lush. I shall give them three or four battles ov 



-J 



ihe Oder, and in six months I shall be again on the 
Niemen. All that has happened is nothing ; it is s. 
misfortune ; it is the effect of climate. The enemy 
is good for nothing : I beat him every where. 
They wished to cut me off at the Berezina—I 
laughed at that fool of an admiral TchitzchagcC *' 

From Warsaw Napoleon took his route to Dres- 
den, and then, travelling rapidly by way of Leipsig 
and Mentz, arrived at Paris about the 18th of De- 
cember, which city he chose to enter about mid- 
night. 

On the 20th, being seated on his throne, he re- 
ceived an address from the senate, equally as adula- 
tory as if he had terminated a successful campaign. 
His answer seemed to allude to a plan which had 
taken place at Pa/ris in the month of October, the 
object of which was to bring about a revolution, 
but failed through the folly or treachery of those 
concerned. He was well acquainted with the 
discontent that prevailed : however, he ventured to 
close the memorable year of 1812 with public de- 
clarations to Frcnce and to the world, that he was 
determined to persist in his plans for the completion 
of the continental system, and that his hopes and 
presages of the ensuing year were founded upon 
principles as unshaken as his own dynasty. How 
ever, what had been foreseen by almost every per- 
son of discernment except Napoleon, soon followed, 
viz. an alliance against France between Prussiti, 
Russia, and Austria. Thus a new political vortex 
was created, into which all the lesser princes on 
the continent were inevitably drawn, with the ex- 
ception of the king of Saxony, who ultimately paid 
dearly for his unfortunate attachment to the fallea 
bero of the a2"e. 



IS13'] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. Lil 



CHAPTER VIII. 

PTOctcnn.ation oj Louis X VTII. — Assemhhj of the I-yench Lfgit 
lature — 7V 'I ugenbiuici, or German Leaoytfi qf Virtitp — Amru 
Louise constituted Regent of France — Departure of Naj.oleon 
for the Army — Opening of tlie Campaign in Saxony — Death 
rf Marshal Bessieres — Baitlfs of Liitzen, Wurtchen., Bautzen, 
keichenbach — Deatfi of Marshal Duroc, Sj-c. — Armistice — De- 
sertimi of the French General Jouiini — Battle of Dresden — 
Death of General Moreau — RiTommerwetiient of Hostilities — 
Affair of the Katzbach ; of Waschau — Battle of Leipsig — 
B/owing up of the Bridge over the ElsI.er — Piince PonialowslcUf 
<^'C. drowned — Retreat of the French — Battle of Hanau — Tm 
French repass the Rhine — The Allies enter France — Language 
of Napoleon in the Senate. 

Napoleon having good reason to apprehend 
that the friends of the exiled royal family enter- 
tained some hopes of their restoration, his fears 
were much increased by a proclamation of Louis 
XVIII., issued from his residence in England on 
the 1st of February, 1813. To guard against the 
effects of this proclamation, which had made a 
great impression, Napoleon ordered a grand assera 
bly of the legislature on the 14th of February 
when he made a most pompous display of his impe- 
rial greatness, and again told them that England 
was disturbing his conquests and the peace of the 
continent. Among other matters, they were in- 
formed, that as long as the maritime war lasted, go 
long must his people make all kinds of sacrifices. 

Affairs soon began to press upon Napoleon ; all 
Germany, united by the Tugenhmd, or League of 
Virtue, was now m motion. The crown prince of 
Sweden was daily expected in Pomerania, where 
Ue was to at^jt against the French ; and Austria, b 



118 MEMOIRS OP (^18-13 

Eims, WB.S reatly to adopt a decided pait, which 
^ apoleon had much reason to believe vc ^uid not be 
m his favour ; so that nothing remained for him but 
immediate action. 

On the loth of April, he left Paris, having pre 
viously constituted Marie Louise empress regent of 
France. On the 16th, he passed through Metz, 
wltere he remained organizing his forces till the 
evening of the 24th, and put himself upon the road 
for the armies on the Saale ; he travelled with his 
usual rapidity, and on the 27th was at the head of 
his force,j at Naumburg on that river. 

Several affairs of minor importance preceded the 
celebrated battle of Lutzen ; the former occurred 
at Wettin, Halle, Mersburg Weissenfels, and other 
places in the neighbourhood of the Elbe. In pass- 
ing the defile of Poserna on the 1st of May, the 
action on both sides cost but a few men ; but the 
French had to regret the loss of Marshal Bessieres 
who, reconnoitring the plain near the village of 
Rippach, had his wrist cut off by a bullet, which 
entering his breast, he fell dead. 

In the battle of Lutzen, fought on the 2d ot 
May, eighty-four thousand infantry beat one hun 
dred and seven thousand Russians or Prussians 
with more than twenty thousand cavalry. Alexan- 
der and the king of Prussia witnessed the conflict 
m person. The allies lost eighteen thousand men. 
The loss of the French was tVvelve thousand, and 
ihsiT want of cavalry prevented them from reaping 
the usuai fruits of their conquests. 

On the evening of the battle, Napoleon said to 
the generals that were about him, " During seven- 
teen years that I have commanded the French 
Brmies, I have never witness"^d myre bravery or 



1813.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. US 

de-^jtion." And yet the veterans of A iisterlit.'., of 
Jena, Fnodland, Wagram, &c. had almost all dis- 
appeared from the ranks, and the honour of thosft 
eagles, so long victorious, had been committed to 
young conscripts, who had scarcely learned their 
exorcise, and were by no means habituated to the 
fatigues of war. 

On the 9th, Napoleon entered Dresden as a con 
quero-, conducting back to his capital the king of 
Saxony. 

On the 21st and 22d, Napoleon again triumphed 
at Wurtchen and Bautzen. The allies had chosen 
that ground, which the brilliant campaigns of Fred- 
erick the Great had rendered classic. 

In the battle of Reichcnbach, on the 22d of May, 
General Bruyeres, an officer of cavalry highly dis- 
tinguished, had both his legs carried off by a can- 
non-shot. About the end of the action, Marshal 
Duroc was also struck by a cannon-ball, and he 
did not survive more than twelve hours. During 
the march from Reichenbach to Gorlitz, Napoleon 
stopped at Makersdorf, and showed the king of 
Naples where Duroc fell. He summoned to his 
presence the proprietor of the little farm on which 
the grand marshal died, and made over to him the 
sum of 20,000 francs ; 4000 of which were for a 
monument in honour of the deceased, and 16,000 
for the proprietor of the house and his wife. 

On the 4th of June, the armistice of Plejssvitz 
was entered into. It was maintained for nearly 
three months, and proved acvantageous only to 
the allies. Austria, requiring delay, obtained it 
the Russia)is, who were waiting for re-enforce- 
ments, received them ; the Prussians doubled theil 
xiuir jers ; the English subsidies arrived, and tha 

y 



120 MEMOIRS OF [1813 

Swedish army joined the allies. The defection of 
the cabinets of the Rhenish confederation, and tha 
corruption of the allied officers, were successfully 
effected. Treason also began to creep into the 
superior ranks. General Jomini, the chief of the 
staff of one of the French corps, went over to the 
enemy with all the information he had been able Uy 
collect respecting the plans of the campaign. 

The hostile powers again presented themselves 
on the field of battle. The French had now a 
force of 300,000 men, of which 40,000 men were 
cavalry, on the left bank of the Elbe ; and the 
allies had 500,000, of which 100,000 were cavalry, 
which then threatened Dresden from three different 
directions, from Berlin, Silesia, and Bohemia. This 
prodigious disproportion had no effect on Napoleon ; 
he concentrated his forces, and boldly assumed the 
offensive. 

The emperor, who had already made a rapid 
movement against Blucher, was suddenly called 
av,7ay for the defence of Dresden, where 65,000 
French troops found themselves opposed to 180,000 
of the allied forces. Prince Schwartzenberg, the 
general in chief, had, on the 26th of August, made 
a faint attack upon Dresden, being urged to take 
this step by the deserter Jomini, who so well under- 
stood the real state of things. Napoleon came up, 
with his usual rapidity, with 100,000 Frencli troops. 
The affair was not long doubtful, and the enemy 
was overwhelmed : he lost 40,000 men, and was 
for some time threatened with totaj destruction. 
The emperor Alexander was present at the battJe. 
Napoleon observing at the distance of about 500 
yards a group of persons on horseback, and being 
resolved to disturb them, ho ordered a captain of 



1313.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 121 

artillery to throw a dozen of bullets amongst them 
at once. One of these balls struck Moreau, who 
had then joined the Russians, carried off both his 
le^'-s, and went through his horse. A moment be- 
foie Alexander had been speaking to him. It was 
net a little singular, that in an action a short time 
nfter, Napoleon ordered the same artillery officer 
to thi Dw eighteen or twenty bullets at once into a 
concourse of officers collected together, by which 
General St. Priest, another royalist, a Frenchman, 
and a man of talent, who had a command in the 
Russian army, was killed, along with many others. 
Moreau survived his misfortune but a few hours. 

The happy chanoe so anxiously looked for by 
Napoleon, which was expected to re-establish his 
affairs, procure peace, and to save France, had at 
length arrived. Accordingly, on the ensuing day, 
Austria despatched an agent to the emperor, with 
amicable propositions. But, such is the uncertainty 
of human destiny, from that moment, by an unex 
ampled fatality. Napoleon had to encounter a chain 
of disasters. At every point, except that at which 
he was himself present, the French sustained re- 
verses. 

A retrospective view of this important campaign 
will show, that many unfair advantages had been 
taken by the allies. The armistice concluded on 
the 4th of June, and prolonged till the 10th of 
August, was on that day declared at an end by the 
ministers of the allied powers. At the same time 
the emperor of Austria's declaration of war against 
Napoleon appeared. Hostilities were not, accord • 
ing to tne convention, *to have commenced till the 
16ta of August; but the allies, under the pretexf 
of some improper conduct towards Lutzow, a chisj 

VOL. 11. ] 1 



122 



MEMOIRS OF 



[1813. 



of t} f pfijtisans in the environs of Leipsig, f'id not 
wait for the expiration of this period. Their troopa 
were put in motion on the 14th, and Breslau, the 
caj)ital of Silesia, was occupied by General Sacken. 
On the following day, Blucher invaded the territory 
declared neuter, and established his head-quarters 
at Jauer. His design was to attack the French 
positions upon tlie Katzbach ; but these were aban- 
doned in the night between the 17th and 18th. On 
the evening of this day, a regiment of Westphalian 
hussars went over to the enemy, and thus gave thf 
signal to the rest of the German troops, upon whori 
the Tugenbu7id had begun to exercise its influence. 
Three days' fighting, on the 21st, 22d, and 23d 
of August, cost the enemy about seven thousand 
killed, wounded and prisoners ; the French lost 
more than five thousand. 

The battle of Katzbach took place on the 26th, 
in which Marshal Macdonald lost about 10,000 
men killed and wounded, with 15,000 prisoners, and 
thirty pieces of cannon. Blucher and his army 
passed the Katzbarh on the 28th of August ; on 
the first of September he traversed the Bober ; and 
on the second lie was at Lauban. The victory of 
Katzbach procured for this brave general the title 
of prince. The conduct of Marshal Macdonald, in 
hazarding a battle in the most unfavourable situa- 
tion, a kind of cul de sac, was severely condemned. 
The battle of Dresden, that followed, and that of 
Kulixi, in which Vandamme was totally defeated, 
strongly tended to hasten the catastrophe that 
awaited all Napoleon's plans. The affair of Kulni 
cost the French more than 10,000 men, besides a 
ttuml>er of prisoners, including Vaadanme, tli8 



1813] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 123i 

generals Haxo and Guyot, and thirty pieces of 
nannon. 

In the neiglibourhood of Berlin, the same il 
success attended the French as had taken place \v 
Silesia and in Saxony: the affairs of Tros Beereti 
and Lubnitz, though to the disadvantage of the 
French, were not so sanguinary as some of the 
preceding. 

The conduct of the duke of Reggio, who had 
been sent against the prince royal of Sweden, 
having destroyed all Napoleon's hopes, he was re- 
moved, and the command given to the prince of the 
Moskwa, who, being ordered to move forward im- 
mediately, arrived at his new post on the 4th of 
September. In the battle of Juterbok, that took 
place on the 6th, two Saxon divisions went over to 
the enemy. The loss of the French, on this occa- 
sion, was 10,000 killed, wounded, or prisoners, with 
twenty pieces of cannoii, and several caissons. On 
the 26th, another Saxon battalion, with its arms 
and baggage, deserted to the enemy near Rosslau, 
from which place, and at Acken, the prince royal 
of Sweden threw bridges over the Elbe. On the 
14th of October, Napoleon learned that Bavaria 
nad declared war against him ; the Danes' had also 
been compelled to join the allies. 

Previous to the 16th of October, the French ar- 
my assembled in the environs of Leipsig consisted 
of 134,000 infantry and 22,000 cavalry. The 
troops of the allies, divided into four armies, p-e- 
«ented a total of 349,000 combatants, includ ng 
04,000 cavalry. 

Tne battle of Wachau, fought on the 16th, was 
«laimed by both parties. The allies pleaded, that 



>24 MEMOIRS OF [1813^ 

Ihey were outnumbered by the French ; but thfl 
"act is, the French had no more than 50,000 men 
engaged in the plain, whilst the allies had 75,000. 
The battle of Leipsig took place on the 18th of 
October. This sanguinary and hard-fought conflict 
was distinguished by another desertion of the Saxon 
artillery over to the enemy, and by the introduction 
of the Congreve rockets, which were sent into the 
field by the prince royal of Sweden ; but all the 
exertions of Napoleon and his faithful generals 
ended in a retreat, partly occasioned by a want of 
ammunition ; as, in the course of five days, they had 
fired more than 250,000 shots, and had not suffi- 
cient to have continued the fire two hours longer. 
As the nearest reserves were at Magdeburg and at 
Erfurt, the emperor determined to march for the 
latter In the evening of the 18th, the parks of 
artillery defiled through Lindenau towards Lutzen. 
At day-light the third and fifth corps, that of the 
duke of Castiglione, and the five corps of cavalry, 
had repassed the Elster ; but the execution of this 
retreating movement was attended with great diffi- 
culties. The defile, two leagues in extent, from 
Leipsig to Lindenau, is traversed by five or six 
bridges. It had been proposed to Napoleon to 
place 6000 men and sixty pieces of cannon upon 
the ramparts of Leipsig, and to occupy this town 
as the head of the defile, and to burn the suburbs, 
for the purpose of preventing the enemy from re- 
ceiving shelter, as well as to give a scope to the 
French artillery. But Napoleon would not consent 
to the destruction of one of the finest cities in 
Baxony, though it might have saved more than 
15,(»00 of the French army, and a numerous artil- 



1813.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 125 

lery. On the 19th, at day-break, the eneiny'a 
generals, having learned that tho French were 
retreating, pat their masses in motion, and the 
whole of t ^. combined army marched towards 
Leipsig. ' le emperor Alexander and the king of 
Prussia h'' ng rejoined the army, a deputation was 
sent fror the place, begging them to spare the 
mhabita i. This demand was rejected ; and a 
flag of ;uce from the duke of Tarentum did not 
succeed any better. Before the action commenced, 
Blucher made a ridiculous proposal to the French 
army to lay down their arras. About eight o'clock 
the coalized columns were before the suburbs, and 
General Sacken attacked the front of that called 
Halle, which failing, the corps of Langeron ad- 
vanced to support it, and was also repulsed. The 
regiment of Archangel v/as almost destroyed. At 
length, about ten o'clock, several of the suburbs 
having been forced, Napoleon mounted his horse, 
and went to take leave of the king of Saxony ; but, 
before he could get out of the place, he was obliged 
to proceed along the boulevards on the west for 
considerable time, before he could gain the heights 
of Lutzen. At this instant the gates of Halle and 
Grimma were forced, and that of St. Peter deliver- 
ed up to the Austrians oy the troops of Baden ; 
wh'^iSt, from the ramparts and the tops of the houses, 
the Saxon troops in the town began to fire upon 
the French, who only yielded inch by inch. In 
the meanwhile, the tiralleurs of the corps of Lan- 
geron having slipped along the Elster, as far as the 
bridge by which the French army was defiling, a 
corporal belonging to the engineers, thinking that 
the time v/as come for blowing up the bridge, ira- 
uiediati^ly «)et a li^ht to the tjam by which ac( 



126 



MEMOIRS OF 



[1813 



the retreat of ail tlie troops upon the boulevards 
and the fauxbourgs was cut off. Despair inune- 
diately seized those unfortunate warriors • <"he 
bravest only thought of selling their lives as nearly 
as possible, and burying themselves under the ruins 
of the place. Others endeavoured to swim across 
the Pleisse and the Elster. Tlie dake of Taren 
turn forded it. Marshal Prince Poniatowsky, al 
ready wounded, drowned himself in the latter, as 
did also General Dumoutier. Prince Poniatowsky 
had previously forded the Pleisse, leaving his horse 
behind him ; but, arriving upon the Elster, which 
was already lined by Saxon and Prussian riflemen, 
he plunged into the river, and instantly sunk, to- 
gether with his horse 

Towards ten o'clock the battle was over at 
Leipsig. The loss of the French, from the 16th 
to the 19th of October, amounted to twenty thou- 
sand killed, and thirty thousand prisoners, including 
about twenty-two thousand sick and wounded, in- 
capable of being moved out of the hospitals of 
Leipsig. A hundred and fifty pieces of cannon, 
and more than five hundred carriages, fell into the 
hands of the enemy. Among the prisoners, the 
allies included the king of Saxony. 

On the 20th, the remains of the French army 
had arrived at Weissenfels, on its way to Erfurt : 
during its march to this place, all the troops of the 
confederation of the Rhine that were left, deserted. 

At Schluchtem, where the French army arrived 
on the 28th, Napoleon first received positive intel- 
ligence of the movements of the Austro-Bavarian 
jirmy under General Wrede, which led to the 
oattle of Hanau. On the morning of the 30th, the 
errp^ror arrived within a league of the town, at th« 



l813.J NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 127 

head of the whole imperial guard, and large bodies 
of tiralleurs, amounting altogether, it is said, to a 
force of about sixty thousand men, twelve thousand 
being cavalry ; although the bulletin of the grand 
army speaks of this important force as follows- 
«We have only had actually engaged 5000 tiral- 
leurs, four battalions of the old guard, and about 80 
squadrons of cavalry, with 120 pieces of cannon !" 
Napoleon took up an admirable position in the 
skirts of the Lamboy forest. The battle com- 
menced at ten in the morning, and raged with 
various success during the day — the tide of victory 
rolling backwards and forwards from the town to 
the forest, and from the forest to the town, as the 
French drove back the Germans into the very 
suburbs, and entered in pursuit of them, burning 
and laying waste the streets ; or as the Germans 
again forced back their enemies into the shelter of 
the thick forest. Napoleon bivouacked with his 
suite in the forest during the night of the 30th. 

On the 2d of November, the emperor quitted 
Frankfort ; and on the same day, the whole of the 
French army repassed the Rhine. 

The Austro-Bavarians were at Frankfort on the 
4th, and Napoleon arrived at Paris on the 9th of 
November. 

Whilst these movements took place, the grand 
army, combined with that of Silesia, continued to 
advance towards the Rhine. The emperor Alex- 
ander entered Frankfort on the 5th of December, 
at the head of twenty thousand horse. On the 
same day, Prince Schwartzenberg forced the pas- 
sage of tl e Nidda, and arrived within two leaguea 
of Mentz, and fixed I is head-quarters at Hochst 



128 MEMOIRS OF [1813 

Blucher's were at Giessen. Hocheim and Hoir, 
were taken on the 9th. 

After these movements, the coalized sovereigns 
resolved to suspend their operations upon the Upper 
Rhine, in order to pursue their invasion of France 
In the course of November, the allies v^^ere masters 
of all the dutchy of Berg ; and the army of the 
north occupied Hanover, where the prince royal of 
Sweden had his head-quarters. Winzingerode oc 
cupied Oldenburg and East Friesland ; and Bulow 
was proceeding to Holland, to organize the insur- 
rection that soon follow^ed, after both shores of the 
Elbe had been cleared of the enemy. Dresden 
was surrendered by General Gouvion St. Cyr in the 
course of November ; and the capitulation of Stet- 
tin, Torgau, Zamosc, and Modlin, increased the 
courage of the enemy, and added to the depression 
of the French. Dantzick, so bravely defended by 
General Rapp and his troops during a siege and 
blockade of many months, capitulated on the 4th of 
December, with the duke of Wirtemburg. 

Thus, at the end of the campaign, the French 
had not a single garrison beyond the Rhine, ex- 
cepting at Hamburgh, Magdeburg, Custrin, Witten- 
berg, Glogau, and the citadels of Wurtzbarg and 
Erfurt. 

Affairs in Spain and Italy, this year, we7e equally 
as disastrous as they had been wdiere Napoleon 
was present. The results of Lord WeJington'a 
victories were the driving of the whole French 
army, beaten and dispirited, within their intrench 
ments close under the guns of Bayonne. 

Napoleon stated in an address to the French 
egislative body, that, brilliant victories had crowned 



.] NAPOLEON 'iONAPARTB 

Ihe French arms during this campaign . »mV defec- 
tions without example had rendered these victories 
nugatory. Negotiations, he said, had commenced 
with the combined powers. He had agreed to the 
preliminary bases they had offered. He had hopes, 
that, before the present assembly had met, a con- 
gress at Manheim would have been convened ; but 
new decays, which were not attributable to Franc©^ 
had occurred. 



130 



MEMOIRS OP 



[18U 



CHAPTER IX. 



Hapoleon i Address to the National Guard — Departure for tht 
Army — Strength of the French Farces and those of the Allies — 
Battle of Brienne — Affair of La Rcihiere — Retreat of Ncfpoleon 
to Sezanne — Battle of Champ Ajibert — Montmirua — Mr/nte- 
reau — Affairs of Chateau- Thiemj and Vaiichamps — Unsvc 
t,€ssful Attacks on Laon — Murat declares for the Allies — Con- 
gress at Chatillon — Restoration of tlie Pope's Ten-itory — 
(Gallant Defence of Soissons — Battle of Fere Champewist — 
Entrance of tJie Allies into Paris — Abdication of Napoleorir^ 
His Departure from Fmitainebleau, and Arrival at Frejus — ■ 
Embarkation, ajid Reception in tlie Isle of Elba — Anecdotes. 

On the 23d of January, 1814, the officers of the 
national guard at Paris, in number eight hundred, 
were presented to the emperor in the saloon of 
marshals, on which occasion, when his majesty 
passed on his way to mass, and, on his return, he 
was saluted with the unanimous cries of Vive 
Vempertur ! The officers divided into legions, and 
formed a vast circle, in the midst of which the em- 
peror placed himself. Then appeared a scene the 
most aifecting, the most sublime. The emperor 
told them that a part of the French territory was 
invaded ; that he was going to place himself at the 
head of his army, and that he hoped, with the 
assistance of God, and the valour of his troops, to 
repulse the enemy beyond the frontiers. At thia 
moment his looks were tenderly fixed upon the 
empress and the king of Rome, whom his august 
mother carried in her arms ; and his majesty added, 
vn a tremulous voice, that he confided his wife and 
his son to the love of his faithful city of Paris. A' 
that instant a thousand voices resounde I a thou 



1S14.] NAPOLEON BONAPArlTE. 13, 

E9nd aims were raised, swearing to defend whe 
precioub trust confided to a faithful people. 

Napoleon left Paris on the 2oth of January, and 
arrived at Chalons on the following day. His 
army at this period, far from presenting a specnnen 
of those numerous and formidable masses with 
w :ich France had so often overawed the sovereigns 
of Europe, consisted of only five corps, almost dis- 
organized, and scarcely amounting to sixty thousand 
men. It was with these feeble forces that the 
conqueror of Arcole, Marengo, Austerlitz, and Jena, 
undertook to struggle, often with success, and never 
without glory, against three armies, consisting of 
three hundred thousand fighting men. 

The communication between the armies of 
Blucher and Prince Schwartzenberg had not been 
yet completed. IMapoleon wished to avail himself 
of this circumstai.ce to combat them singly. A 
despatch sent to the duke of Trevisa to effect his 
junction with Napoleon, was taken by Blucher, by 
which he was timely warned of the danger he was 
exposed co. Previous to the battle of Brienne, 
fought on the 29th of January, the march of the 
French infantry had been retarded, and the men 
considerably fatigued by the bad weather and the 
heaviness of the roads. The sanguinary action 
that followed, fought almost from house to house, 
commenced about noon, and continued till half 
after eleven at night, when Blucher ordered the 
corps of General Sacken, together with the cavalry 
of General Pahlen, to retire in silence upon the 
route of Bar-sur-Aube, till, wearied with fatigue, 
both paries ceased firing. The French remained 
m possessioi of the castle of Brienne, and the ligh< 
droops retained the greatest part of the towr 



132 



MEMOIRS OF 



ri8i4 



Napoleon fixed his head-quarters at Perthes. It is 
remarkable, that both Blucher and Napoleon were 
nearly made prisoners during the battle of Brionne , 
the former when the French first obtained posses 
sion of the castle. About three o'clock on tlie 
same day, as Napoleon was coming out of the wo^d 
of Valajitigny with a very small escort, he wao 
assailed by the Cossacks, one of whom aimed a 
thrust at him with his lance, but was prevented in 
his design by General Gorgaud, who killed the 
offender. The emperor would nevertheless have 
been made prisoner, if Meuniur's division had not 
come to his assistance. 

On the 1st of February, the French at lia Ro- 
thiere being attacked at three points, their righ 
and left resisted nobly, but their centre was bro- 
ken, whilst a secondary attack, made by General 
Wrede upon the duke of Ragusa, obliged him to 
retire with loss. The French, on this unfortunate 
day, lost fifty-four pieces of cannon, and six thou- 
Eand men, including two thousand four hundred 
prisoners 

Addea to this afflicting state of affairs, the news 
was received of the defection of Murat, th^' king of 
Naples. 

Napoleon having reunited his army a*" Sezanne 
on the 10th, this movement was soon followed by 
the battle of Champ Aubert; the result of which 
was the taking of twenty-one pieces of c»nnon, the 
Russian general Alsusiew, two generals under his 
orders, forty-seven officers, and eighteen hundred 
prisoners ; twelve hundred Russians ha 1 been kill- 
ed, and scarcely fifteen hundred escaped Among 
the French killed was General Lagrang-e. 

The emperor slept that night at Chaiiip AuJ^eri 



1814.1 NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 133 

and the bsittle of Montniirail was foug-ht ^he next 
day ; the Frcrxh were again victorious ; they took 
six standards, twenty-six pieces of cannon, two 
hundred carriages, with baggage and ammunition, 
and upwards of seven hundred prisoners. The 
army bivouacked upon the field of battle, whilst the 
allies were in full retreat to Chateau-Thierry. 
. where, in the battle that followed. Napoleon did 
not lose above four hundred men. The enemy lost 
three pieces of cannon, and three thousand mea 
including one thousand eight hundred prisoners, 
amongst whom was General Freudenrich. In the 
battle of Vauchamps, on the 12th of February, 
Napoleon took fifteen pieces of cannon, ten stand- 
ards, and two thousand prisoners ; the enemy hac 
besides seven thousand men killed and wounded. 
On the 15th of February, the allies determined 
upon the retreat of the army of Silesia, under 
Prince Blucher, beyond Chalons. 

The affairs of Montmirail and Montereau were 
highly glorious to the French : after the latter, 
Napoleon is reported to have said, " My heart ia 
relieved ; I shall save the capital of my empire." 

The unsuccessful attack on Laon, on the 9t,h 
and 10th of March, though at intervals some ad- 
vantages were gained, was rightly censured as an 
act of the highest temerity on the part of Napoleon, 
who, with less than thirty thousand men, had the 
presumptioa to enter into a conflict with a hundred 
thousand, m possession of a most formidable posi- 
tion. In this murderous affair the loss of the 
French, in men, cannon, and prisoners, was very 
considerable, and, besides, it rendered the immedi- 
ate retreat of Napoleon to Sc issons absolutely ne 
tessary. 

VOL. Tl. 12 



134 



MEMOIRS OF 



[18X4 



On the 11th the allies got possessioL of Rheimsj 
but were driven out a second time with the loss of 
eight hundred killed, sixteen hundred wounded, 
and two thousand five hundred prisoners. 

In the midst of these events, the allies very 
safely adopted the determination of marching to 
Paris. Joachim Murat, the king of Naples, had 
now openly declared for them, and the French in- 
terest in Italy and Savoy was declining more 
rapidly than could have been expected. Savoy 
was abandoned by the French troops, as was also 
the city of Lyons ; and other places in the south 
of France were closely pressed by the enemy. 

A congress had been opened at Chatillon on the 
4th of February, with the professed view of treat- 
ing for a peace with Napoleon ; but, without coming 
to so happy a conclusion, this was broken up on 
tlie 19th of March ; an event certainly hastened by 
the suspicions entertained by Napoleon, as much 
as by the check which his army had received at 
Laon on the 10th. 

The following circumstance is very important, 
since it proves how much Napoleon's thoughts, 
were employed at this crisis upon the Bourbons. 
After the check sustained at Brienne, the evacua- 
tion of Troyes, the forced retreat on the Seine, 
and the degrading conditions transmitted from 
Chatillon, which were so generously rejected, the 
emperor, who was closeted with one of his friends, 
overpowered at sight of the miseries then impend- 
ing on France, rose from his chair, exclaiming with 
warmth. " Perhaps I still possess the means of 
saving France. What if I were myself to recall 
the Bourbons ! The allif ? would then be compelled 
^o arrest their course, 'inder pain of being ovei 



1814.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 13d 

whelmed with disgrace, and detected in theii du- 
plicity ; under pain of being forced to acknowledge 
that their designs were directed against our terri 
tcry, rather than against my person. I should sac- 
rifice all to the country. I should become tho 
.Tiediator between the French people and the Bour- 
bons. I should oblige the latter to accede to the 
national laws, and to swear fidelity to the existing 
compact : my glory and my name would be a guar- 
antee to the French people. As for me, I have 
reigned long enough. My career is filled with acis 
of glory, and this last will not be esteemed the 
.east. I shall rise higher by descending thus far." 
Then, after a pause of some moments, he added — 
" But can a repulsed dynasty ever forgive ? Can it 
ever forget ? Can the Bourbons be trusted ? May 
not Fox be right in his famous maxim respecting 
restorations ?" 

The marvellous successes of Champ Aubert, 
Montmirail, Chateau-Thierry, Vauchamps, Nangis, 
Montereau, Craone, Rheims, Arcis-sur-Aube, St. 
Dizier, &c. &c., dismayed Alexander and the Eng- 
'ish, and for a while suggested to them the neces- 
sity of treating in earnest. In fact, the short hut 
immortal campaign of this year is described by 
Baron Fain, in a volume entitled, " The Manuscript 
of 1814," as an episode of miracles, in which Na- 
poleon throughout appears supernatural in the re- 
sources of genius, the energy of mind, the celerity 
of motion, the steadiness of views, and the sublimi- 
ty of courage which he then evinced. Nothing can 
be compared with the prodigies he performed, ex 
cept, indeed, the indefatigable ardour of a handful 
ttf brave men frequently deprived of food and rest 

About th's time Napoleon thought proper U r& 
Z 



136 MEMOIRS OP [1814 

store to tne venerable Pope Pius what is called the 
Patrimony of St. Peter ; and a treaty was published 
n the Moniteur, expressing, that the departmeuta 
of Rome and Trasimene had been rendered to hia 
holiness, upon condition that lie should abandon the 
rest of the Ecclesiastical States. No one, how- 
ever, was the dupe of this jugglery ; and, a few days 
after, Murat, who coveted these estates, or the hon- 
our of giving them up, as much as his brother- 
in-law, remitted them in their full integrity to the 
pope. 

Though, in the few combats that intervened be- 
tween this period and the possession of Paris, the 
bravery and self-devotion of the French armies 
never shone brighter, the fearful odds of increas- 
ing numbers crippled every effort. In the last af- 
fair of Fere Champenoise, General Thevenet, after 
sustaining the fire of forty-eight pieces of cannon, 
held firm til the whole of the enemy's cavalry rush 
ed upon liim, and made a horrible butchery ; he 
himself was wounded and taken, and not a man 
escaped, as not a man would give or receive quar- 
ter, but fought with the bayonet till the last breath. 
The French on this occasion lost nine thousand in 
killed and wounded, nearly half the number that 
was present. Sixty pieces of cannon, &c. fell into 
the hands of the aJies ; and this brilliant success 
completely opened to them the way to the capital. 

How far the spirit of the French people might 
have been excited under the most untoward cir- 
cumstances, appears from the conduct of the garri- 
son end the inhabitants of Soissons. This town, 
whei7 Napoleon's reverses were crowding thickly 
upon him, had been twice taken in less than a 
R'onth, and did not appear capable of sugtain^'..g a 



814. J NAPOLEON BONAPARTE., 137 

.ong siege. Commanded by two branches of the 
Aisne, which waters its environs, abandoned more 
than twenty years, and only presenting ramparts 
without parapets, practicable breaches at every 
point, a ditch nearly filled up, and every where ex- 
posed to the enemy, it may be affirmed, that this 
place required great repairs before it could be se- 
cured from a coup de main. However, its position 
at the head of several roads had conferred upon it 
no small importance. The routes from Chateau- 
Thierry, Compeigne, and Rheims, twenty-five 
leagues distant from Paris, had become the best 
post that could be chosen between the Marne and 
the Oise, to cover the capital, though the strength 
of Soissons seemed inadequate to the purpose in 
tended in this celebrated but unhappy campaign 
Napoleon had to regret the first loss at Soissons, 
occasioned by the death of Rusca, a general of di- 
vision: but what paiiiful sensations did he not feel 
m seeing the fruit of so many victories escape him. 
by the second surrender of the place, at the mo- 
ment when Marshal Blucher, forced back upon the 
Aisne, had this not occurred, had no alternative but 
that of laying down his arms. 

Napoleon wrote to the minister of war on the 6th 
of March, ordering him to retake Soissons. On 
this occasion, the duke de Feltre cast his eyes 
upon Gerard, chef de battalion of the thirty-second, 
and an officer of the legion of honour, who had 
given brilliant proofs of his valour at Polotsk, at 
Nogent-sur-Seme, at Mormant, and on many othei 
occasions. 

The task imposed upon the brave Gerard waa 
very difficult to perform ; the heavy responsibility 
attached to this undertaking had alarmed more thap 
12^ 



138 , MEMOIRS OF [1814 

cae old general. On the 10th of March, he ar 
rived at Soissons. At a single glance he discover- 
ed the advantages and the weaK parts of his posi- 
tion, and immediately gave his orders for the demo- 
lition of ola, or the erection of new works of the 
first ne< essity, informing the inhabitants that hia 
orders were, to prevent the enemy from setting hia 
foot within the place. 

After two fruitless attacks upon Laon, the French 
army retired upon Soissons, and encamped under 
the walls on the 11th of March. On the 12th. 
Napoleon, having reconnoitred the place, gave 
fresh orders and instructions' to the commandant, to 
whose demand he granted forty pieces of cannon, 
and three thousand men of all arms, including 1500 
of his guard ; it was also his particular desire, that 
the defenders of Soissons should oblige the enemy 
to attack the place according to the regular rules 
On the 14th, Napoleon departed, leaving the mar 
shal duke of Trevisa to cover the town, and v/hc 
accordingly took a position on the heights before 
Crouy. The duke had orders to furnish SoissonN 
with all the labourers he could spare. On the 15th 
the duke was attacked by the enemy's troops, much 
superior to his own, but without success. On the 
16th and 17th, he continued a firm resistance, in 
order to give time to General Gerard to make his 
dispositions' for receiving the enemy; but, on the 
I8th, he niarched away, leaving General Charpen- 
tier's division in his position, to act as a rear-guard. 
Ifter the imperial guard had entered Soissons on 
Jie 16th, General Gerard, having formed his gar- 
rison, found it composed of six battalions, two 
squadrons, three companies of artillery, and three 
Olivers of sappers and miners; a staff was created 



1814.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE 139 

for the place, and th e works were p jshed with ac- 
tivity at every point. 

On the 20th, Ge leral Charpentier wrote from 
Braine, informing Gfi neral Gerard that Rheims had 
\yeen abandoned by the corps under the duke of 
Trevisa, and that there was every appearance that 
the whole of Blucher's army was approaching* 
General^ Bulow, havmg been joined at Crouy by 
Sacken's corps, and having under him 30,000 men, 
summoned Soissons. On the evening of the 20th 
of March, the Prussian general, flattering himself 
that he should carry Soissons as easily as it had 
been carried by the Russian commandant Witzin- 
gerode, sent his flags of truce. General Gerard, 
refusing to receive their despatches, caused them 
to be conducted by two officers of the garrison to 
the camp whence they set out. These officers were 
ordered to inform General Bulow, that the com- 
mandant of Soissons would have no correspondence 
with the enemy, excepting the exchange of cannon- 
balls. Seeing no probability of negotiation, the 
enemy unmasked several batteries, and inundated 
the town with a discharge from howitzers and with 
red-hot balls, making at the same time a violent at- 
tack upon the fauxbourg of Paris, but without effect. 

On the 22d, the enemy never ceased firing upon 
the place, and this fire, if it had been possible, 
would have augmented the ardour with which the 
besieged continued tiieir labour at all points. 

On the 24th, the enemy, having forcibly entered 
the suburb of St. Christophe, and established him- 
self, immediately began to cronelate the houses of 
tvhich he had got possession, at the same time that 
a battery was raised behind them upon the road to 
Compeigne. Soon after this their tiralleurs, that 



140 MEMOIRS OF [1814 

were under cover, kept up a continual fire upon thft 
gate of Paris. In consequence of this, Genera! 
Gerard resolved to make a sortie from the Rheinis 
and Paris gates, which he executed with success. 
The working parties, taken by surprise, abandoned 
the trenches without much resistance ; some pris- 
oners were taken ; the enemy was entirely driven 
out, and the houses nearest the Paris gate were set 
on fire. 

The enemy, to be revenged for this check, kept 
up a continual fire, during the night between the 
24th and 25th, from a number of howitzers ; but, 
deceived by the light of the fauxbourg in flames, 
the town suffered very little. 

On the 25th, the inhabitants, deriving confidence 
from the dispositions of the chiefs, and the valour 
of the troops, and also inspired by the noble devo- 
tion which they perceived in their defenders, who 
were not able to take a moment's repose, spontane- 
ously consented to obey the invitation of General 
Gerard, to join their patriotic efforts with those of 
the garrison. 

On the 26th, General Bulow sent another flag of 
truce, who was warned against approaching the 
gates, and immediately ordered off*. But, notwith- 
standing the brisk fire of the garrison and their 
frequent sorties, the approaches of the enemy were 
considerably advanced in the night between the 
26th and 27th. The commandant then determined 
to make a strong sortie, for the purpose of recon- 
noitring the works of the besiegers, and, if possible 
to destroy them. The garrison, not exceeding two 
thousand five hundred men, received orders to hold 
themselves in readiness to fall upon the enemy 

On the 28th, at four o'clock in the afternoor* 



1814. j NAPOLEON UONAPARTE. 141 

General Gerard harangued the troops ; the action 
was intenled to be decisive ; the draughts from the 
old guard, the miners, and a squadron of gendar- 
merie, remained in reserve at the Paris gate, and 
the gunners were at their guns. At a given signal 
of a discharge of twenty pieces of cannon, that 
covered with their grape-shot the fauxbourg St. 
Christophe, the commandant, Gerard, at the head 
of the remainder of his garrison, attacked the ene- 
my with such impetuosity, tliat, owing to his sur- 
prise, he could not resist the shock ; the labourers 
were killed or taken in the trenches ; the guards 
and reserves were overthrown or put to flight. 
This day cost the Prussians under Bulow near nine 
hundred men ; but the fauxbourg of St. Christophe 
was burnt. The garrison brought in with them 
aboiit fifty prisoners : their own loss did not exceed 
eighty killed and wounded. 

In the night between the 28th and 29th, the 
enemy contrived to keep the garrison upon the 
alert at different points, and, on the following day, 
opened a battery of four pieces upon the capital of 
the bastion No. 2 ; and sent another flag of truce 
that was refused. Favoured by the darkness of 
tlie night between the 29th and 30th, he forced 8 
passage into the fosse ; but this operation was not 
only checked by a brisk fire, but a shower of fas- 
cines, burning with pitch and other combustiblesj 
thrown down from the ramparts, destroyed the ene- 
my's works and his preparations. 

On the 31st, at break of day, the garrieon per- 
ceived with equal joy and surprise, that the enemy 
had abandoned his intrench me nts, and withdrawn 
his nrtillery fron^ the batteries. Some time after 
riiey 9-dw the Prussian troops in position up? i the 



142 MEMOIRS OF iyi4 

heights that surround Soissons, with a few posts 
and videttes in the plain, whilst several of t/ieir 
columns weri filing off towards Paris and Com- 
peigne. 

M. Bergerss, at the head of a column of five hun- 
dred mfantry and all the cavalry, next proceeded to 
reconnoitre the A^orks of the besiegers, to destroy 
which the sappers, miners, and others were employ- 
ed. The enemy did not attempt to annoy these 
troops, otherwise than by cannon, the grape from 
which wounded a few men. 

On the 7th of April, the enemy sent two letters 
by a peasant, which General Gerard refused to re- 
ceive. On the following day, a parlianientaire, who 
said he was sent by the new minister of war, was 
equally refused. On the 10th, General Gerard was 
informed that a Prussian convoy was at Venizel : 
this escort and twenty horses were brought into 
Soissons. On the 14th, in the afternoon. General 
Daboville, bearer of the acts of the provisionary 
government, was admitted into Soissons ; he remit- 
ted to the commandant. General Gerard, a letter 
from which the following is an extract : 

" The provisionary government transmits to you 
the faithful and authentic relation of the events to 
wliich Paris has been witness some days past. 
Amongst these documents you will remark the de- 
L-ree of the senate, which pronounces the fall of 
Napoleon and his family ; the constitutional act, 
which recalls to the throne the legitimate inheritors 
and descendants of St. Louis and Henry the Fourth, 
and the unanimous adherence of the magistrates, 
tne generals, officers and soldiers, who have devo- 
ted themselves without reserve to the holy cause of 
their country. You will there find the lojra]i'/ef 



1814.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 143 

copy of the act of abdication by Napoleon, signed 
at Fontainebleau on the 11th of the present month 
of April." 

On the 15th, the commandant Gerard concluded 
an armistice with the blockading troops, and sent 
Bergeres, the commandant of the engineers, to Pa- 
ris, to inquire into the real state of affairs. On tho 
16th, he received the official acts of the fall and ab- 
dication of Napoleon. After having transmitted 
these documents to the garrison, at half past ten at 
night he sent in to General Daboville his adhesion, 
and that of all the French corps under him, in or- 
der that it might be presented to the government. 

On the 22d, a convention was signed with the 
Prussian lieutenant-general Borstel, commandant 
of the blockading troops. One of these articles is 
very remarkable ; it states that a bridge shall be 
thrown across the Aisne above the stone bridge at 
Soissons, and under the cannon of the place, for the 
passage of the allied troops, so that not one single 
enemy should enter the town. 

Thus terminated the siege of Soissons. This 
place, fortified with such haste and so imperfectly, 
sustained nine days of open trenches. Under its 
walls the enemy lost more than two thousand men. 

On the 31st of March, in the morning, the allies 
entered Paris. In the evening Caulincourt came 
from Napoleon, to say that he acceded to the ttrms 
of peace which the allies had offered at Chatillon. 
The emperor gave no other answer, than that the 
time was past for treating with Bonaparte as sove- 
reign of France The emperor and the king of 
Prussia marched into Paris on the same day, and 
were received by all ranks of the population with 
the warmest acclamations. The enthusiasm and 



144 MEMOIRS OF [1814 

exultation that were exhibited, far exceeded the ex- 
pectations of the most sanguine and devoted friends 
of the ancient dynasty of France. It really ap- 
peared that the restoration of their legitimate king 
the downfall of Napoleon, and the desire of peace, 
had become the first and dearest wish of the Paris- 
ians, who, by the events of those days, had been 
emancipated from a'system of terror and despotism 
impossible to describe, and kept in ignorance by 
arts of falsehood and deception incredible for an 
enlightened people, and almost incomprehensible to 
the reflecting part of mankind. 

Napoleon had now m ved his army from Troy by 
Sens towards Fontainebicau, where he was joined 
by the wrecks of Mortier and Marmont's corps ; the 
whole did not exceed 40 or 50,000 men ; neverthe- 
less, he would have made some desperate attempt, 
had he been assured they would have supported 
him. The emperor of Russia, acting in accordance 
with the senate, proposed to Napoleon, in the name 
of the allied powers, to choose a place of retreat for 
nimself and his family, and Caulincourt was direct- 
ed to carry this proposal to him in answer to his 
own, which was, to submit to the decision of the 
senate, and to abdicate in favour of his son. 

He had been informed of this resolution of the 
senate whilst at Fontainebleau. He was reviewing 
the troops on the 1st of April in the morning, and 
seemed to think them his own. He pretended not 
to know what had passed. Marshal Ney then gave 
him the Paris papers to read. In the mean time 
Lefebvre arrived, who, addressing the late emperor 
in a feeling tone, said, " You are undone ! you 
would not listen to the counsels cf any of your ser- 
vants, and now the senate has declared that you 



1814.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 145 

have forfeited the throne." These words drew 
tears from him; and he wrote the act of abdication 
ahriost immediately after. It is also related, that 
several generals sent to the duke of Bassano, who 
was mostly alone with the emperor, to dissuade him 
from appearing on parade, but he did not succeed. 
On the parade, Napoleon looked pale and thought 
ful, whilst his convulsive motions showed his inter- 
nal struggles ; and he did not stop many minutes. 
When he returned into the palace, he asked the 
duke of Reggio if the troops would follow him. 
" No, sire," answered the duke : " you have abdi- 
cated." — " Yes, but upon certain conditions." — 
" The soldiers," resumed the duke, " do not com- 
prehend the diiference ; they think you have no 
more any right to command them." — " Well then," 
said Napoleon, " thi-s is no more to be thought of: 
let 1 s wait for accounts from Paris." 

The marshals left him, and returned m the night 
about twelve. Ney entered first — 'Well, have 
you succeeded .?" exclaimed Napoleon. — " Revolu- 
tions do not turn back: this has begun its course ; 
it was too late. To-morrow the senate will recog- 
nise the Bourbons." — " Where shall I be able to 
live with my family ,5" — " Where your majesty shall 
please ; and, for example, in the isle of Eioa, with a 
revenue of six millions." — " Six millions ! that is a 
great deal for a soldier as I am. I see very weL 
ntjst submit. Salute all my companions." 

The form of abdication was to the followhig pur- 
port : " The allied powers having proclaimed thai 
the emperor Napoleon was the only obstacle to the 
re-establishment of the peace of Europe, the empe- 
ror Napoleon, faithful to his oath, declares that he 
r«mounces, for himself and his heirs, the thrones o' 

VOL. II. 13 



146 MEMOIRS OP [1814 

Prance and Italy ; and that there is no personal sac- 
rifice, even that of life, which he is not ready t« 
make to the interest of France. 

" Done at the palace of Fontainebleau, 
April 11, 1814." 

At length, on the 20th of April, at eleven in the 
norning, Napoleon left Fontainebleau, followed by 
fourteen carriages. His escort employed sixty-four 
post-horses. The four commissioners of the allied 
powers, who accompanied him, were M. Suwatow 
a Prussian general, Kolliere, an English officer, and 
another, supposed to be in Austrian. Four officers 
of his household, among »vhom was his baker, form- 
ed part of his suite. Few of the military departed 
with him. To the officers and subalterns of the old 
guard he said on setting off, " I bid you fa ewell : 
during the twenty years that we have acted to- 
gether, I have always found you in the path of glo- 
ry. AJl the powers of Europe have armed against 
me : a part of my generals have betrayed their duty. 
With your assistance, and that of the brave men 
who remained faithful to me, I have for three years 
preserved France from civil war. Be faithful to 
your new king, whom France has chosen : be obe- 
dient to your commanders, and do not abandon yo ar 
dear country, which too long has suffeied. Pity 
not my fate. I shall be happy when I know that 
you are so likewise. I might have died : nothing 
would have been more easy to me ; but I still wish 
to pursue the path of glory. What we have done 
I will write. I cannot embrace you all, but I will 
embrace your general. Come, general : let the ea- 
gle be brought to me, that I may also embrace it." 
On en'bra.cing t. he said, " Ah, dear eagle, maj 



1814.J NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 14T 

the kisses I bestow on you resound to posterity 
Adieu, my children ! Adieu, my brave companions 
Once more encompass me." The staff then, at- 
tended by the four commissioners, formed a circle 
around him. Getting into the carriage at this mo 
ment, he could not suppress his feelings ; he drop- 
ped a few tears. On this occasion, the English 
commissioner, who stood near him, and who had 
previously been his inveterate enemy, was so deep- 
ly moved, that he was affected in the same degree 
as Napoleon's attendants. 

On the evening of the 20th Napoleon reached 
Briarre ; on the 21st he arrived at Nevers ; on the 
22d at Rouanne ; on the 23d at Lyons ; on the 24th 
at Montelimart ; on the 25th at Orgon ; on the 26th 
he slept near Luc ; on the 27th at Frejus ; on the 
28th, at eight in the evening, he embarked on 
board the English frigate the Undaunted, Captain 
Usher. 

It was deemed prudent that Napoleon should 
reach Lyons at night ; when the Austrian general 
and an English gentleman went out in disguise, and 
mingled with the crowd collected to see the de- 
throned monarch pass by, concluding that he would 
be the object of the bitterest imprecations. On the 
contrary, as soon as the emperor appeared, deep 
silence prevailed among the multitude, and an old 
^"oman, in deep mourning, with a countenance full 
of enthusiasm, rushed forward to the door of the 
carriage. " Sire," said she, with an air of solem- 
nity, " may the blessing of Heaven attend your en- 
deavour t) make yourself happy. They tear you 
'rom us ; bu* our hearts are with you wheresoevei 
vc u go " 



l48 MEMOIRS OF [I8l4 

The four commissioners, and Captain Udher of 
the Undaunted frigate, who was appointed to con- 
vey him to Elba, dined with him on the 27lh of 
April, previous to his embarkation. On the intro- 
duction of Captain Usher, he said, " that, tnough 
formerly our enemy, he was now as sincerely oui 
friend, and that we were a great nation." On 
Captain Usher observing that he feared he could 
but ill accommodate him. Napoleon said, a British 
man of war was a palace. At dinner, the subject 
was chiefly naval aifairs, of which he appeared a 
perfect master. He said that .n three years his 
plans would have been completed ; that he would 
have had two hundred sail of the line, well manned, 
as his naval conscription fully answered his expec- 
tations. He said that his principal object in annex 
ing Holland to France, was for the purpose of 
making good sailors, by exercising them on the 
Zuyderzee ; and, turning round to the Russian com- 
nissioner, added, that he had constructed a three- 
decker, then called the Austerlitz. The conver- 
sation was highly interesting. Napoleon looked 
remarkably well, and talked with his usual confi- 
dence. A French frigate was sent to wait upon 
him, but he preferred going in the English frigate. 

On the evening before his embarkation at Frejus, 
an immense mob had gathered round hiS hotel, 
lie sent for Captain Usher ; his sword was on the 
table, and he appeared very thoughtful. Captain 
Usher observed, that the French mob was the worst 
he had seen : he answered, they are a fickle people 
Napoleon appeared deep in thought ; but recover- 
ing himself, rung the bell, and ordered the grand 
marshal to bo sent for : he asked if all was ready , 



J814.J NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 149 

being aiit»,vered in the affirmative, he turned to the 
captain in his usual quick way, and said, Mons , 
let us go. The stairs were lined on each side with 
ladies and gentlemen ; he stopped a moment, and 
said something to the ladies. He walked to hit' 
carriage, and called for the captain, the Austrian 
commissioner, and the grand marshal, and they 
drove off. 

When he came on board the Undaunted, he 
cvalked round the ship : the people crowded about 
him, and, for the first time in his life, he seemed to 
feel confidence in a mob. 

On the morning after Napoleon's arrival at Porto 
Ferrajo, all the authorities were ordered to attend 
the ceremony of his entrance. Accordingly, on the 
4th of April, in the morning, a flag was brouglit 
mto the town with some solemnity, and immediately 
hoisted on the castle. This flag had a white 
ground interspersed with tees, and in the centre 
appeared the arms of Napoleon and those of the 
island of Elba, united by a rose-coloured stripe. 
Some lime after the flag was hoisted. Napoleon 
anded with all his suite, and was saluted with 101 
rounds of cannon. The English frigate replied *^ 
the salute with 24 guns. Napoleon was dressed 
a blue great coat, under which appeared a suit rich 
ly embroidered with silver, with a peculiar decora- 
tion : he had a small round hat with a white cock 
ade. He was conducted to the house of the mayor, 
where he received the visits of all the superior 
officers: he spoke to them with an air of confidence, 
and even of gayety, putting a number of questiong 
relative to the isle. After reposing a short time, he 
got on horseback, and visited the foits of Marciana, 
Campo, Capo, Liviri, and Rio On the morning of 
13* 



tso 



MEMOIRS OF 



181' 



the 5th, accompanied by the commissaries of tht 
dlied powers, he rode to Porto Longone, five miles 
from Porto Ferrajo, and also visited the iron mmes 
that constitute the wealth of the isle. 

Whilst in this island, the emperor observed that 
his flag had become the first in the Mediterranean. 
It was held sacred, he said, by the Algerines, who 
usually made presents to the Elba captains, telling 
them that they were paying the debt of Moscow. 
Some Algerine ships, once anchoring off the island, 
caused great alarm among the inhabitants, who 
questioned the pirates, and asked them plainly 
whether they came with any hostile views — 
" Against the great Napoleon !" said the Algerinee 
— " oh ! never — -we do not wage war on God." 

Notwithstanding Napoleon's pretended ignorance 
of what was passing on the continent, or the more 
honourable motive of not committing the persons 
who brought him intelligence, besides one officer 
disguised as a sailor, more than a hundred French 
and Italian officers, with their uniforms and swords, 
and with regular passports, coming from France, 
Corsica, Genoa, Leghorn, Piombino, Civita Vec- 
chia, or Naples, visited Elba, and brought him par- 
ticular news of what was passing in France or 
Italy. 

Among other reasons assigned by Napoleon for 
his leaving Elba, he mentioned a visit from an Eng- 
lish nobleman, a Catholic, about thirty years of 
age. He had dined with the duke de Fleury a 
few weeks before, Wiien, the conversation turning 
upon the sum of money to be allcwed Napoleon 
annually, according to a treaty signed by the min- 
isters of the allied powers, the duke laughed a! 
him for his supposing for a moment that it would 



1814.] NAPOLEON BCNAPARTE 15 1 

be complied with, and said they were not »ach 
fools. " That," said Bonaparte, " was one ol the 
motives which induced me to quit Elha." He was 
Burprised that some English frigates had not jcen 
ordered to cruise about the island, and that a 
French frigate had not been stationed in the har- 
bour. Other violations of the treaty of Fontaine- 
bleau, he said, obliged him to take the step he did : 
his wife and child were seized, detained, and never 
permitted to join him. They were to have had 
the dutchies of Parma, Placentia, and Guastalla, 
v\^hich they were deprived of. Prince Eugene 
Beauharnois was to have had a principality in Italy. 
Napoleon's mother and brothers were to receive 
pensions, which were also refused : his own private 
property was seized in the hands of Labouillerie, 
and all claims made by Bonaparte rejected. Be- 
sides, he said, assassins were sent over to Elba to 
murder him. 

Among the minor events of the year 1814, it 
should be observed, Piedmont was restored to the 
king of Sardinia, though the long occupation of 
that country by the French had fostered a French 
"nterest there, which obstructed its ready return to 
ts ancient allegiance. Genoa was also given uji 
to the Sardinian monarch, and the city and repub- 
lic of Venice restored to the emperor of Austria. 
The island of Sicily also, which the circumstances 
of the war had so long converted, as it were, to an 
English garrison, naturally returned to its pristine 
condition after the peace ; and, in the beginning of 
June, it was announced from Palermo, that his ma- 
jesty Ferdinand had resumed the reins of govern- 
ment, and returned to Naoles, after an absencie of 

aine years. 

2 A 



152 



MEMOIRS OF 



[1814 



France, in consequence of Bonaparte's failures 
und abdication, being reduced to her former limits, 
Holland was soon after enlarged by th^ addition of 
the Catholic Netherlands. The emperor Francis 
showed no reluctance in getting rid of a detached 
territory, which had long been more of a burden 
than a benefit. On the 1st of August, 1814, a 
proclamation by Baron de Vincent, the Austrian 
governor, informed the people that Belgium was to 
be given up into the hands of the sovereign prince 
of the Netherlands ; and the prince of Orange soon 
after assured his new subjects, that the destination 
of these provinces was (Jnly a part of a system, hy 
which the allied sovereigns hoped to ensure to the 
nations of Europe a long period of prosperity and 
repose. 

It may be necessary to mention here, that Joa 
chim Murat, having effected his escape from Italy, 
retired to Provence, in the south of France, while 
Madame Murat and her family found an asylum in 
the Austrian states. 

The results of the battle of Waterloo, in the 
following year, obliged Murat to quit France ; and 
in September, 1815, he appeared in the island of 
Corsica, where he assembled a number of partisans 
to assist him in invading Naples, and to recovc 
\he throne from which he had been expelled. At 
mid-day, on the 8th of October, he disembarked 
in Calabria with a suite of thirty persons, and 
uiarched without interruption to the first village, 
where, hoping to excite a rising of the people, Mu- 
rat exclaimed, " I am Joachim, your king ; it is 
your duty to acknowledge me." These words 
served to rouse the people to arms, not to aid, but 
U:. crush a desperate enterprise, that threatened U 



.'814. J NAPOLEON BONAPARTl.. 15> 

involve tlieir country in the horrors of a civil war 

Murat and his suite sought refuge in the mountains, 
and afterwards endeavoured to open themselves a 
way to the coast, but were made prisoners. Imme- 
diately after his capture, Murat was brought to 
trial before a military commission, by which he was 
condemned to be shot, in company with his follow- 
ers ; this accordingly took place in the afternoon 
of the 13th of October, and thus released the appre- 
hensions of the reigning family for the safety of 
their throne. 

Such was the miserable end of him who had 
been one of the most active causes of Napoleon's 
reverses. In 1814, his courage, it was admitted, 
might have saved Napoleon from the abyss in 
which his treachery involved his former sovereign. 
He neutralized the vice-king Eugene, on the Po, 
and fought against him ; whereas, by uniting to- 
gether, they might have forced the passes of the 
Tyrol, made a descent into Germany, and, arriving 
on the Rhine, might have destroyed the rear of the 
allies, and cut off their retreat from Prance. 

The emperor, while he was at Elba, avoided all 
communication with Murat, as king of Naples ; 
but, on departing for France, he wrote to inform 
him, that, being about to resume possession of his 
throne, he felt pleasure in declaring to him, that 
all their past differences were at an end. He par- 
doned his late conduct, tendered him his friendship, 
Bent some one to sign the guarantee of his states, 
End recommended him to maintain a good under- 
standing with the Austrians, and content himse'f 
merely with keep ng them in check, should they 
attempt to march upon France. Murat, at thii 



154 



MEMOIRS OP 



^1814. 



moment, actuated by the sentiments of his earl^ 
youth, would receive neither guarantee nor signa- 
ture. He declared, that the emperor's promise 
and friendship were sufficient for him, and that he 
would prove he had been more unfortunate than 
guilty. His devoteiness and ardour, he added, 
would obtain for him oblivion for the past. 

" Murat," said the emperor, " was doomed to be 
our bane. He ruined us by forsaking us, and he 
afterwards ruined us by too warmly espousing our 
cause. I had forbidden him to act ; for, after J 
bad returned from Elba, there was an understand- 
ing between the emperor of Austria and me, that. 
if I gave him up Italy, h-. would not join the coali- 
tion against me. This I had promised, and would 
have fulfilled ; but that imhecillej in spite of the 
direction to remain quiet, advanced with his rabble 
into Italy, where he was blown away like a puff. 
The emperor of Austria, seeing this, concluded di- 
rectly that it was by my order." 

In the meanwhile, Louis, who had ascended thi. 
throne of France, found himself surrounded with 
difficulties. The splendid military despotism, which, 
for several jears, had dazzled his country, had 
hushed, but not destroyed, the revolutionary par- 
ties. A great mass of past gicy still adhered to 
the name of Napoleon ; and his partisans, and even 
his troops, had no difficulty in finding reasons for 
his failures in unforeseen circumstances, and in the 
perfidious desertion of his former allies. The pride 
of the nation, co-operating with this feeling, spurn 
ed at the idea of being conquered As soon, 
therefore, as the joy of present relief from danger 
Qad subsided, a spirit of discontent manifested i' 



1814.1 NAPOLEON BONAPytRTE. 16a 

eclf in animosity against the allies, and m disaffec- 
tion to a government which they considered had 
been imposed upon them by foreign arms. This 
spirit was so strong in the capital, and in some of 
the departments, that it required all the vigilance 
of the government to prevent its breaking out iute 
open iDsurri'ctioa. 



156 MEMOIRS OF [1815 



CHAPTER X. 

Btate ofPat'ties in France at the Commencemeut o^2Xb — Situation 
of Napoleon at tlie Isle of Elba — Change in fefc* Habits — Learns 
tlie Discontents of the French People — Tlie. Symbol of the 
Violet — Blindness and insensibility of the Bourbons — Removal 
of Bonaparte in Agitation at Vienna — TM.s prevented by his cmm 
Determination to ouit Elba., and return to France — Mis actual 
Departure on titelGlh of Fehriuxry — Hits Fortitude and Prese7u:c 
of Mind — Lands, and takes up hisfrst Night's Quarters in a 
Field of Olives — His March to Paris — Re-establishment of the 
impenal Government — Activity and Bustle of^ the hundred 
Days — Tlie Champ de Mai — Plans for the ensuing Campaign. 

The state of parties in France, at the commence- 
ment of the year 1815, still indicated alarming dif- 
ferences in sentiments and opinions among large 
classes of the comnmnity. The military, in par- 
ticular, deeply felt the humiliation of the French 
arms. A recent ordinance for the reduction of all 
officers, not immediately in employ, to half-pay, 
combined with the recall of the Swiss guards to 
the capital, and the exclusion of the old imperial 
guard from Paris, swelled the tide of discontent to 
an alarming height. To add to such stimulants, 
already too strong, a religious ceremony, calculated 
io revive a recollection of the errors and crimes of 
the revolution, and by no means adapted to the en- 
lightened spirit of the times, was performed on the 
21st of January, the anniversary of the execution 
of Louis XVI. On the 18th, the remains of the 
bodies of the king and queen were taken up from 
the cemetery of the Magdalene, where they had 
lain two-and-twenty years. They were then en- 
cl )s€d in a large box, which was fastened, and sea) 



l815 ] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE 157 

ed with the signet of the arms of France, and 
carried into a chamber, in order that the ecclesi- 
astics might continue round the two bodies the 
prajers of the clmrch, till the time finally fixed for 
the placing them in leaden coffins, and for carrying 
them to the royal church of St. Denis, where they 
were finally entombed. The people now not only 
imagined that they should be compelled to pay re- 
spect to all the ancient rites and prejudices in reli- 
gion, but that it was intended to restore the whole 
circle of feudal tenures and services, especially as 
the theatres of Paris had been ordered to be shut 
on the day of the re-interment of the royal corpses, 
and a service commemorative of the death of Louis 
XVI., then considered as a martyr, introduced into 
the French liturgy. To add to this aggravation, 
many persons, from factious motives, were busy in 
disseminating reports of designs, on the part of 
government, to restore tithes, and invalidate the 
purchase of national property. 

The arrival of Napoleon at Elba has been noticed 
in the preceding x^hapter. There his ever-active 
mind was immediately applied to completing the 
fortification of his capiml, improving the public 
roads, and adding to *he agricultural and minora - 
logical resources of the .sland. One of his attend- 
ants observed, "His f^ays passed in the most pleasing 
occupations : all his hours were filled up." In the 
morning, he shut himself up in his library. He often 
rose before the sun, and employed himself several 
hours in study ; about eight o'clock, he visited the 
works he had pi ojected, and spent a considerable 
time amongst his workmen. Whatever might be 
the state of the weather, he repaired daily to his 
chateau at St. Martin, and there, as in the citv, he 
"'^L. ri. 14 



58 



MEMOIRS OF 



[1815 



was occupied with the interior management of hi? 
house, and required an exact account of every thing 
entering into the smallest details of rural and do- 
iBiestic economy. Often, after breakfast, he re 
dewed his little army, required the greatest regu- 
larity in their exercises and manoeuvres, and caus- 
ed the strictest discipline to be observed. After 
the review, he mounted his horse, generally attend- 
ed by Marshal Bertrand and General Drouot, and 
in his excursions otlen gave audience to those who 
met him. At dinner, all who were admitted to his 
table were treated with kindness and cordiality ; as 
he had acquired the secret of enjoying the most 
intimate and friendly society, without surrendering 
any part of his dignity. The evenings were usu- 
ally dedicated to family parties. 

However, when the first impressions of novelty 
were effaced, Bonaparte's mind gradually subsided 
into a state bordering upon ennui. Ho grew cor 
pulent, took less exercise, and more sleep. But 
his knowledge of the discussions oi the congress 
of Vienna, with respect to his future disposal, and 
the treatment of the empress and his son, soon 
roused him from this state. Hitherto he had evin- 
ced a decided preference for the society of Sir Neil 
Campbell, the British accredited agent at Elba ; 
but, having received a visit from some of his family 
and friends, he became restless and dissatisfied. 
He shunned the company of the British resident, 
and almost secluded himself from society. Often 
he would spend seven or eight hours in his closet, 
no one daring to intrude on his retirement ; and at 
other times he would wander on the shore with 
folded arms, and frequently with an unequal and 
agitated step. The increasing discontents of the 



1815.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE 15 S 

French peopie had now come to his knowledg-e ; 
the wheel of vicissitudes was again in motion, and 
the mind of Napoleon became intently fixed upon 
the progress of the rotation. 

This striking alteration in his conduct, and tht^ 
frequent intercourse which he had opened with his 
friends in Leghorn, Florence, and other parts of 
the continent, v/ere not concealed from the principal 
governments of Europe. A corvette had also been 
assigned to him, to keep up his communication with 
the ports of the Mediterranean, and no cruiser of 
any nation had any right to violate his flag. In 
fact, Colonel Sir Neil Campbell had not any au- 
thority for seizing or detaining Bonaparte, if he 
thought proper to quit the island. His device, the 
violet, the secret symbol by which his friends de- 
noted him, and knew each other, was extended on 
the course of the Seine, as well as on the banks of 
the lake of Geneva. Rings of a violet colour, 
with the device, Elle reparatrai au printems — *' It 
will re-appear in the spring," became fashionable. 
Females wore violet-coloured silks, and the men 
displayed violet-coloured watch-strings ; and the 
mutual question, when persons met, was, generally, 
Aimez vous la violette ? — " Are you fond of the vio- 
let ?" to which the answer of a confederate was, 
Eh! km— "Ah! well." 

In the midst of this peril, the Bourbons seemed 
to slumber at the Tuilleries, and to disregard the 
warning voice so often sounded in their ears. Ear- 
ly in January, offers are understood to have been 
received by M. Blacas, the minister and favourite 
jf his sovereign, to disclose a plot formed for the 
restoration of Bonaparte ; but the proposal was re- 
ceived with contemptuous silence, and treated with 



160 



MEMOIRS OF 



1815 



neglect. Posterity will scarcely credit the asser 
tion, that, after the return of Napoleon, there were 
found, in the bureau of the Abb6 Montesquiou, sev- 
eral successive communications from the Comte de 
[jontheliers, prefect of the department of the Var, 
unread and unopened. The early part of these 
communications, dated in the month of January, 
informed the minister of the frequent arrival at, 
and the departure of various persons from, Elba. 
At Vienna, aJso, the conduct of the illustrious exile 
had become the subject of correspondence between 
Lord Castlereagh and M. Talleyrand ; and it cer- 
tainly was in agitation to remove Napoleon to a 
situation more remote from his family and his friends, 
and less dangerous to the future tranquillity of Eu 
rope- These circumstances served to hasten the 
grand catastrophe. 

The preparations made for the hazardous enter- 
prise, now preparing to burst upon an astonished 
world, formed a striking contrast with those made 
by the same personage, some years before, for the 
invasion of England. For the army that was now 
to invade France, one day's notice was all that was 
deemed necessary. Instead of two hundred thou- 
sand men, here were considerably less than one 
thousand : the flotilla, on board which they were 
embarked, consisted of the Inconstant, of 26 guns 
L'Etoile and La Caroline, bombardes, and foui 
feluccas. The orders to embark were not received 
till one in the afternoon ; and at eight o'clock, in 
the evening of the 26th of February, the expedition 
with the emperor and his staff on board the Incon 
Btant, sailed from Porto Ferrajo at the signal of a 
single gun. Every thing had been for some time in 
motion •, crowds of old men, women, and chiMren 



1815.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 161 

eagerly rushed to the shore, and thronged round 
the faithlul companions of Napoleon, contending 
with each other for the honour of touching them, 
seeing and embracing them, for the last time. 

The French rushed into their boats, martial mu 
sic struck up, and the flotilla sailed majesticalJ) 
from the shore amid the shouts of Five Pempereur. 
Napoleon, when he set his foot on board the vessel, 
was calm and serene, only exclaiming with Caesar 
"The die is cast!" Count Bertrand's eyes spar 
kled with hope and joy ; Drouot and Gorgaud were 
pensive and serious : the old grenadiers resumed 
their martial aspect*, and Napoleon chatted and 
joked with them incessantly. All were burning to 
know their destination, but none dared to ask the 
question. At length Napoleon broke silence 
"Grenadiers," said he, ''we are going to France 
we are going to Paris." At these words every coun- 
tenance expanded. An English sloop of war under 
Captain Campbell, which seemed to have the charge 
of watching the island of Elba, at the moment oi 
embarkation, was at Leghorn ; however, several 
vessels were in sight, and excited some apprehen- 
sions. These were soon increased by a calm, and 
at day-break the flotilla was still between the islande 
of Elba and Caprea, having advanced no more thar 
six leagues. About noon the wind freshened s 
ittle, and at four o'clock they were off" Leghorn. 
A frigate and a man-of-war brig were still in sight 
and the latter was coming down upon the imperia' 
flotilla, right before the wind. The empe/or or- 
dered the so\<liers of the guard to take cff their 
caps, and gc below. At six o'clock, the Frercr 
biig Le Zephir passed alongside the Inconstant, 
and the captain inquired after the emperor, whep 

i4 * 



162 MEMOIRS OF [ISin 

he was answered by Napoleon himself, that th« 
emperor was extremely well. The other brig and 
the Zephir now steered different courses, without 
the least suspicion of the valuable prize which thev 
had suffered to escape. In the night of the 27th, 
the wind continued to freshen, and at day-break a 
seventy-four gun ship was descried steering for 
Fiorenza, or Sardinia, but it was soon perceived 
that she took no notice of the flotilla. 

Before Napoleon had left Elba, he had prepared 
two proclamations ; one addressed to the French 
people, the other to the army. They were couched 
in his usually animated style, and dated Gulf of 
Juan, March 1, 1815. 

On the 1st of March, at three o'clock in the af- 
ternoon, they entered the Gulf of Juan. At five, 
the emperor landed, and took up his quarters for 
the night in a field surrounded with olives. " This," 
Napoleon exclaimed, "is a happy omen: may it be 
realized !" Among a few peasants that appeared, 
was one who had formerly served under Napoleon, 
and, knowing him, would not quit him. "See," 
said the emperor to Bertrand ; "we have got a re 
enforcement already." He spent the evening chat- 
ting and laughing familiarly with his guards. 

Five-and-twenty men, who had been sent for- 
ward to Antibes, to sound the garrison, under the 
pretext that they were deserters from Elba, behav- 
ed so imprudently, that the French commandant of 
the garrison ordered the drawbridge to be raised, 
and detained them as prisoners. Napoleon, find- 
ing they did not return, despatched an officer to 
the walls of Antibes, to harangue the soldiers ; 
but he found the gates of the town and the har- 
bour both closed, and that it was not possible U 



1815.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTF. 163 

see General Corsin, or to speak to the soldiers. 
Napoleon, though a little disconcerted at this event, 
began his march at eleven at night, with four small 
pieces of artillery in his train. He proceeded t<t 
Cannes, thence to Grasses, and, in the evening of 
the 2d, arrived at the village of Cerenon. On tlie 
3d, he slept at Bareme, and at Digne on the 4th. 
The peasants blessed his return ; but, when Ihey 
saw his little troop, th«?y looked or him with pity 
and very little hope. 

On the 5th, he slept at Gap, and here first print- 
ed his proclamations, which were distributed with 
the rapidity of lightning. 

On the 6th, at two in the afternoon, he left Gap, 
and the whole city went to see him set off. At St. 
Bonnel, the inhabitants proposed sounding the 
alarm-bell, to collect the neighbouring villagers, 
and accompany him in a body, but Napoleon de- 
clined the offer. On the same night he slept at 
Gorp. At Sisteron, the people were willing to 
furnish more provisions than were demanded ; and, 
when the battalion of Elba appeared, they offered 
it a tri-coloured flag. Three leaguer? from Gorp 
the emperor found a battalion of the fi*"th regiment, 
a company of sappers, &c., in all sev«3n or eight 
hundred men, opposed to him. He sent Raoul to 
parky w'''Ji them ; they would not hear him. Napo- 
eoTi ihen alighting from his^^orse, marched straight 
to the ditachment, followed by his guard, witl] 
a,rras secured: "What, my friends," said he to 
chem, " do you not knov^' me ? I am your emperor ; 
if there be a soldier an>org you who is willing to 
kill his general, h's p'PO'^ror, he may do it ; here I 
ftm;" an^ he placed » ,»n*ii]d upon his brea?t. "Long 



164 



MEMOIRS OF 



[1815. 



live the emperor I" was the answer, in an unanimoaa 
shout. 

It seems a division of rayali-jts continued to cov- 
er Grenoble, which the soldiers who had now joined 
Bonaparte oeing anxious to march against, their 
request was granted. Before they had reached 
Vizille the crowd of inhabitants increased every 
instant ; but between this place and Grenoble ar 
adjutant-major came to announce that Colonel La- 
bedoyere had separated from the troops at Gre- 
noble,- and was hastening, with his regiment, to the 
emperor. 

Soon after, loud shouts were heard at a distance , 
the soldiers, when they approached, being impatient 
to join, broke their ranks, and nothing was heard 
but "The guard for ever! the seventh for ever!" 
Napoleon, thus seeing his forces and the public 
spirit increasing every step, resolved to enter Gre- 
noble that very evening, when, before he reached 
the city, a young merchant, an officer of the na- 
tional guard, offered his services and a hundred 
thousand francs. Farther on he was joined by a 
party of officers, by whom he learned that General 
Marchand and the prefect of Grenoble had declar 
ed against him, drawn the troops into the town, 
and closed the gates ; and that the ramparts were 
covered by the third regiment of engineers, compos- 
ed of two thousand sappers, all veterans, covered 
with honourable scars •, by the fourth artillery of 
Ihe line, some battalions of the fifth, and hussars 
of the fourth. Napoleon, however, and his party, 
with their arms reversed, and marching with joyful 
Mitrgularity, approached the walls singing. Not'i- 
oig was heard but " Grenoble for ever ' France fo? 



1815.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 165 

ever 1" The garrison, the nationa] guard, and the 
town's-people, spread over the raiaparts, beheld at 
first vi^ith surprise and emotion these transports of 
joy and attachment ; and it w^as not long before 
they partook of them : the besiegers and the be- 
sieged uttered at once the rallying vv^ords, "Lon^ 
Jive the emperor I" The people and the soldiera 
rushed to the gates-, which were in an instant beat- 
en down, and Napoleon, surrounded, thronged by 
an idolizing crowd, made his triumphant entry into 
Grenoble. Soon after, the people came and brought 
him the fragments of the gates, with trumpets 
sounding, and said, "For want of the keys of the 
good town of Grenoble, here are the gates for you." 
Here Napoleon questioned young Labedoyere on 
the state of Paris, and of France in general. Full 
of the noblest sentiments, the frankness with which 
he expressed himself sometimes staggered Napo- 
leon : "Sire," he said, "the French will do every 
thing for your majesty, but then your majesty 
must do every thing for them : no more ambition, 
no more despotism, : we are determined to he free 
and happy. It is necessary, sire, to renounce 
that system of conquest and power, which occa- 
sioned the misfortunes of France and of yourself." 
Napoleon promised every thing, if he should suc- 
ceed. 

Proclamations, &c. printed at Grenoble, were 
diffused in every direction, and couriers despatcned 
to announce Napoleon's entrance into that city, and 
his prospects of success. Here he reviewed the 
garrison of six thousand men, which afterwards 
set out on its march to Lyons. The empress and 
Pnnce Joseph Bonaparte were written to from Gre- 
uoble, and it was carefully made known to th« 



166 



MEMOIRS OF 



1 16 



{)eopIe, that JVIarie Louise and her son were coming 
to join the empexor. 

The news of the emperor's landing did not reach 
Paris till the 5th of March, at night. It transpired 
on the 6th, and on the 7th a royal proclamation 
appeared in the Moniteur, convoking the chambers 
immediately. A decree was also issued, placing 
Napoleon, and all who should join him, out of the 
protection of the law. On the 8th, the Moniteur 
announced that Bonaparte had landed with eleven 
hundred men, most of whom had deserted him ; 
that he was wandering in the mountains, with only 
a few attendants ; that he had been refused pro- 
visions, was in want of every thing, and must soon 
give himself up to his pursuers. All manner of 
falsehoods and empty boasts were propagated 
among the royalists; and, on the 11th of March, 
an officer in the king's household appeared in the 
balcony of the Tuilleries, and, waving his hat, an- 
nounced that the king had just received an official 
account, that the duke of Orleans, at the head 
of twenty thousand of the national guard of Lyons, 
had attacked Bonaparte, and completely beaten him. 
On the 12th, this victory was contradicted, and a 
decree that followed for assembling a new army in 
front of Paris, and a call upon the three millions of 
national guards to take up arms, sufficiently indica- 
ted the danger apprehended by the king and his 
friends. In fine, the defection of Marshal Ney 
completely removed the vail of deception. The 
king again swore to maintain the charter ; but, 
m the course of a few days, he left Paris for Ghent, 
and Bonaparte and his troops made another tri- 
umphant entry. 

In the interim, when Napoleon approached the 



ISitA.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 16^ 

city of Lvop.3, he found the count D'Artoia with 
Maishal Macdonald, determined, as he was told, to 
defend the place ; however, as at Grenoble, he was 
receiv3d with shouts of "Long live the emperor!'' 
by tJve immense population as well as by the troops 
The count D'Artois fancied he could gain the mil- 
itary by the distribution of money ; but they were 
deaf to his words, entreaties, and promises. Pass- 
ing before the thirteenth regiment of dragoons, he 
said to one of them, decorated with three rhevrons 
and with scars, "Come, comrade, shout. Long live 
the king !" " No, sir ; no soldier will fight against 
his father. T can only answer you by saying. Long 
live the emperor!" Confused, and in despair, the 
count exclaimed, "All is lost!" — At five in the 
evening, the whole garrison joined the emperor ; at 
six, the imperial army took possession of the city ; 
and at seven, Napoleon made his solemn entry, 
proceeding alone before his troops, but preceded 
and followed by an immense crowd, expressing, by 
incessant acclamations, the intoxication, the happi- 
ness and pride they felt at seeing him again. He 
alighted at the archbishop's palace, which, with his 
person, he intrusted to the national guard. He 
rejected the services of the horse-guards, assigning 
as his reason their ill behaviour to the count JJ'Ar- 
tois. Thi:* corps, chiefly composed of nobles, atter 
having sworn they would die for the count. Napo- 
leon was informed, had deserted him ; one except- 
ed, who remained faithfully attached to his escort 
till the moment he thought the prince out of dan- 
ger. Nappleon, who loved a noble action, not only 
commended the conduct of this generous Lyonese, 
but appointed him a member of the legion of hen- 
»iir. 

2h 



'bS 



MEMOIRS OF 



[1815 



Hitherto the civil government under Louis had 
remained unchanged ; but, by several decrees, issu 
ed by Napoleon from Lyons, on the 13th of March 
the chambers were dissolved, and a variety of 
changes made, which at once embraced every par* 
of the civil and military administration of the state 
On the same day, Napoleon left the city of Lyons, 
with a high encomium upon its fidelity and attach- 
ment. 

On the 16th, the emperor slept at Avalon ; and 
here an officer of the stafi" came and brought Mar- 
shal Ney's submission, and his orders of the day, 
in which he announced to the troops, that the 
cause of the Bourbons was lost for ever ; that liberty 
was at length triumphant ; and that their august 
emperor was about to confirm it, and would be at 
Paris in a few days. 

On the 17th, the emperor arrived at Auxerre 
He alighted at the prefect's house At eight 
o'clock in the evening, Ney arrived, and on the 
following day received a very cordial reception 
The emperor, as soon as he perceived him, said, 
" Embrace me, my dear marshal : I am glad to see 
you : I have honoured and esteemed you as the 
bravest of the brave." The marshal ended his 
compliments to Napoleon, and the profession of his 
own patriotism, with observing that the Bourbons in 
cessantly sought to humiliate them. "I am," said 
he, "still enraged, when I think that a marshal of 
France, like me, was obliged to kneel down before 

that *** of a duke of B to receive the 

cross of St. Louis. It could not last ; and if you 
had not come to expel them, we should have driven 
.hem oat ourselves." 

Here the emperor wolo to the empress for the 



1S15.J NAPOLEON BONAPARTB l6* 

third time ; and about this period he had heard of 
so many p.ots against his life, as to produce a pain 
fu] impression, and he could not help contrasting 
this disposition for assassinating him, with the con- 
duct he had observed towards many of his bitterest 
enemies when they were completely in his power. 

In advance of Fossard, the king's rf»giment of 
dragoons were drawn up in order of battle, for the 
purpose of joining him. On the road to Fontaine- 
bleau, the emperor was informed that two thousand 
of the body-guards were drawn up in the forest to 
oppose him. Hitherto his only escort had been the 
carriage of General Drouot, which preceded his, 
and that of M. Fleury de Chaboulon, which closed 
the march. Some officers, and three or four Po 
landers, galloped by the side of them. The horses, 
the postilions, the couriers, were decked with tri- 
coloured ribands, which gave the whole party an 
air of festivity. 

At two o'clock on the 20th of March, Napoleon 
set out for Paris ; but, retarded by the cro'^^^d, and 
the felicitations of the troops and the generals 
who came to meet him, he could not reach it till 
nine in the evening. As soon as he alighted, the 
people rushed on him : a thousand arms bore him 
up, and carried him along in triumph to the Tuil- 
leries. The halls of the palace seemed metamor- 
phosed into a field of battle, where friends and 
brothers, unexpectedly escaped from death, found 
and embraced one another after victory. 

At an early hour on the following morning, thou- 
sands assembled to view Napoleon, who appeared 
at one of the windows every five minutes, when he 
\vas saluted with incessant acclamations, and, if 
alsent from popular observation for any longer pe 

VOL. n. 15 



170 MEMOIRS OF [1815 

riod, he was compelled to show feimself, as the 
clamour became so loud and imperious. 

The very evening of his arrival, Napoleon haa 
a long conversation with the duke of Otranto, and 
other dignitaries of the state, on the situation of 
France. Napoleon could not disguise his rapture ; 
"never was he seen so madly gay, or so prodigal 
of boxes on the ear, his favourite compliment. 
The fonder he was of a person, the more he gave 
him, and the harder he struck." 

Prince Cambaceres was with reluctance placed 
at the head of the new administration, as minister 
of justice. The prince of Echmuhl was named 
minister of war. The duke of Vicenza was made 
minister of foreign affairs. The duke of Gaeta 
and Count Mollien again became ministers of the 
finances and the treasury ; and the duke of Otranto 
had the charge of the police. 

The re-establishment of the imperial govern- 
ment took place on all sides with a promptitude and 
facility truly extraordinary. Marshal Augereau, 
who had endeavoured, in his proclamation of 1814, 
to disgrace the emperor, was eager to make his re- 
cantation in a fresh proclamation. The duke of 
Belluno and Count Gouvion St. Cyr, after making 
vain efforts to curb their insurgent troops, were 
glad to escape from their resentment by flight 
The military houseb'^ld of the king had submitted 
to their discharge, and readily surrendered their 
horses and arms. In fine, the royal family having 
evacuated the imperial territory, the emperor 
thought proper to acquaint the army in person with 
these happy results: "Thanks to the French peo- 
ple and to you," said he, r»n reviewing the troopj 
nn the 27th of March, "the imperial +lirfine is re 



1815.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 171 

established. It is acknowledged throughout the 
empire, and not a single drop of blood has been 
spilt. The count de Lille, the count D'Artois, the 
duke de Berri, the duke of Orleans, have passed 
our northern frontier, and sought an asylum among 
foreigners. The tri-coloured flag waves on the 
towers of Calais, Dunkirk, Lille, VaUmciennes, 
Cond^, &c." 

Of all the family of the Bourbons, the duke and 
dutchess of Angouleme alone persisted in the strug- 
gle against Napoleon. The dutchess was at Bor- 
deaux at the time of the landing from Elba. Even 
after what she had heard had taken place at Paris, 
she made the national guard at Bordeaux take up 
arms : she hastened to the barracks to harangue 
the soldiers, and exerted herself with suo-h spirit 
and activity, that Napoleon himself was pleased to 
say, "The dutchess D' Angouleme is the only man in 
the family." 

The duke D' Angouleme, in the south of France, 
when nearly abandoned by all his followers, sur- 
rendered to General Gilly, and, having formally 
disbanded his army, was allowed by Napoleon t( 
embark at Cette, from whence he sailed for Cadiz. 
His capitulation and departure soon led to the sub- 
mission of Marseilles, which had taken part with 
the royalists. 

About this period, Napoleon sent another letter 
to the empress Marie Louise. The emperor of 
Austria ordered it to be delivered into his hands, 
jind contented himself with informing his daughter, 
that he had received news of her husband, and 
that he was well. Neither Napoleon nor his irjii> 
isters neglected any means that could assure the 
foreign sovereigns c^ his pacific intentions ; and, in 



172 MEMOIRS OF [18-5 

a letter addressed to them Individ aally and collec- 
tively, lie gave a solemn and authentic character to 
the manifestation of these sentiments. 

The duke of Vicenza, also, had orders personally 
to express the same sentiments to the foreign min 
isters, as those with vv^hich the emperor was ani 
mated ; but the couriers who carried his despatch 
es were impeded or arrested, and it was evident 
that the hostile declaration of the Congress at Vi- 
enna, on the 13th of March, 1815, was acted upon 
already. In this declaration they charged Bona- 
parte with infringing the convention he had entered 
into on the 30th of March, 1814, which settlea 
him in the island of Elba, by re-appearing in 
France with the design of disturbing and subvert 
ing it. The powers declared, in consequence, that 
Napoleon Bonaparte had thrown himself out of all 
the relations of civil society ; that they would era- 
ploy all their means, and unite all their efforts, to 
prevent the general peace from being disturbed 
anew : that they would be ready to furnish the king 
of France, or any other government that may be 
attacked, with the succours necessary to restore the 
public tranquillity, as soon as they shall be demand- 
ed, &c. &c. This was signed by the respective 
ministers of Austria, Spain, France, Prussia, Rus- 
sia, Sweden, &c., and, on the part of Great Britain 
by Wellington, Clancarty, and Stewart. 

Prince Joseph and Prince Lucien both arrived, 
about the 10th of April, at Paris, to offer lAeir for- 
tunes and their services. 

It is remarkable, that both England and Austria, 
m memoirs published on the 25th of April, and 
May 9, 1815, authentically declared, that they had 
not engaged, by the treatv of the 29th of March. U 



1815.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 173 

restore liouis XVIII. to the throne ; and th.-t theii 
intentions in pursuing the war, were not to impose 
on France any particular government whatever. 

The fortification of the capital now engaged 
Napoleon's attention, and during this of^eration he 
frequently went, with a few officers of his house 
hold, to stimulate the zeal of the workmen. But, 
at the moment when the population of Paris were 
testifying their attachment to their country and 
their emperor, the alarm bell of insurrection again 
resounded through the plains of La Vendue, where 
the peasants from Anjou, Poitou, &c. were collect- 
ed. This rising in La Vendee, in consequence of 
the death of M. De La Roche Jacqueline, was soon 
quelled. 

Much about this time, as observed in the pre 
ceding cJiapter, the rumour of the defeat and death 
of Murat, king of Naples, arrived. The Lazaroni 
having assassinated a few Frenchmen at Naples, 
the minister of police repaired to the royal palace 
with the intent of murdering the queen, the sister 
of Napoleon. This princess, worthy of the blood 
that circulated in her veins, was not affrighted by 
their shouts and threats ; she courageously made 
head against them, and compelled them to return 
to their obedience. Joachim Murat, who had per- 
formed prodigies of valour, considering the slendei 
means he had of opposing the Austrians, whom he 
had unnecessarily provoked, returned, in the night 
of the 1 9th of March, to Naples. The queen ap- 
peared indignant at seeing him. " Madam," said 
he to her, " I was not able to find death." He de- 
parted immediately, to prevent his falling into the 
hands of the Austrians ; but the qneen, notwith- 
standing the dangers that threatened her 'ife re- 
15* 



174 MEMOIRS ot [1816 

solved to remain at Naples till her fjtie and that of 
the army were decided. When the treaty ^\as 
signed, she went on board an English vessel, and 
repaired to Trieste. 

But whilst the commencement of hostilities against 
France was only v^aiting for the arrival of the Rus- 
sians, the Parisians, not contented with erecting 
their intrenchments with their own hands, solicited 
the honour of defending them ; and twenty thou- 
sand men, composed of guards, federates of the 
suburbs, and citizens of all ranks, were formed into 
battalions for actual service, under the denomination 
of tiralleurs of the national guard. Unfortunately, 
however, the arsenals had been plundered in 1814, 
80 that, instead of having six hundred thousand 
muskets, scarcely enough could be found to arm 
the troops of the line, and the national guards sent 
to garrison the fortified towns. Here, however, 
we may observe, that no part of Napoleon's politi- 
cal life, marked as it had always been by the most 
rapid and extraordinary promptitude in military 
preparations, afforded a greater display of activity 
than was manifested during the hundred days which 
formed the duration of his second reign. Amidst 
all his political pursuits, he was never diverted from 
his military preparations. Cannon, muskets, and 
arms of every description, were founded and forged, 
and issued from the manufactories with incredible 
celerity. The old corps were recruited ; new lev- 
ies were instituted, under the various names of free 
corps, feder^es, and volunteers ; the whole king- 
dom seemed transformed at once into an immense 
camp, of whicb Napoleon was the spring awd the 
leader 



1815.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 175 

The Champ de Mai, long delayed by unforeseen 
circumstances, was celebrated on the 1st of June 
the ceremonies were imposing, and the addresses, 
on the part of the emperor and the electors, werr 
in the usual inflated style. 

Napoleon, having sworn upon the Gospels to ob» 
«ervo, and to cause to be observed, the constitutions 
of the empire, ordered the oath of fidelity to be 
proclaimed by the arch-chancellor Cambaceres 
The people being represented by the electors, this 
was spontaneously repeated by the latter, by tho 
troops, and the majority of the spectators ; the min- 
isters of war, and the marine, at the head of theii 
deputations. The staff officers of the imperial and 
the national guards afterwards advanced to tako 
the oatJi, and receive from the hands of the chief 
of the state the eagles intended for their accept 
ance. 

Napoleon was far from having united all parties 
by this grand solemnity. The people were disgust- 
ed with theatrical representations and empty decla- 
mation. The old revolutionists wished him to 
abolish the empire, and re-establish the republic. 
The partisans of the regency would have had hiu 
resign the crown to his son ; whilst the most libe 
ral partisans maintained, that he ought to have sub- 
mitted it to the sovereign people, and received it 
again from them, or to have consented that they 
should place it upon the head of some more worthy 
object. 

Soon q,fter the meeting of the Champ de Mai, 
the emperor sert Count de Flahaut io Vienna, to 
negotiate or demaiwi publicly, m the Dime of nature 
and the law of nations, the deliverance of the em 



176 



MEMOIRS OF 



[1815 



press and her son. He set out, but could not be 
allowed to proceed beyond Stuttgard. Napoleon 
had previously attempted, by several letters full of 
feeling and dignity, to move the justice and sensi- 
bility of the emperor of Austria, but in vain, thougl; 
it appeared he had almost persuaded the French 
people of the certainty of her return. Offers had 
been several times made to the emperor Napoleon, 
to bring off the empress and her son privately 
but he never would listen to any thing of the 
kind. 

During the month of May, Napoleon, having lost 
all hope of preserving peace, had been meditating 
upon a plan for the ensuing campaign. Two pro- 
jects principally engaged his attention. The first 
vvas to remain upon the defensive, and by thia 
means to throw the odium of aggression upon the 
allies. Supposing them to get possession Ox 
all the strong places, and to penetrate as fai 
as Lyons or Paris, he would then commence a 
vigorous and decisive war. ' Flattering himse f 
that numerous battalions would be continually ar 
riving at Paris, he reckoned that the French force 
would augment in every quarter, whilst tne strength 
of the allies would diminish. Two hundred and 
forty thousand men, under such a chief as himself 
manoeuvring on the shores of the Seine and the 
Marne, under the protection of a vast intrenched 
camp, guarded by sixteen thousand stationary troops 
he inferred, must prove victorious against four hun- 
dred and fifty thousand of the enemy. 

The second plan was, to attack the allies before 
they could be in readiness to resist him : it would 
then be necessary to commence the campaign by 



1815.) NAPOLEON rONAPARTE. J?** 

the 15th of June, beat the two armies, Anglo- Hoi- 
landaise and Prusso-Saxon, then in Belgium, before 
{he Russian, Austrian, Bavarian, and Wirtemburg 
armies could arrive. 

Napoleon hesitated a considerable time, as to the 
plan he should adopt ; but as an insurrection in La 
Vendue necessitated him to detach troops from the 
army of tlie north, his force w^as reduced to a 
hundred and twenty thousand men. These con- 
siderations induced him to adopt a third plan, 
viz. to attack, on the 15th of June, the Anglo- 
Hollandaise and Prusso-Saxon armies ; to separate 
and beat them ; or, if he failed, to retire with his 
army under the walls of Paris. Still he knew 
that the allies, thus surprised on the 15th of June, 
would have been in complete readiness by the 1st 
of July, and that their march upon Paris would 
be much more rapid after a victory than other- 
wise ; and that the French army was still much 
inferior to those under Field-marshal Blucher 
and the duke of Wellington. But Napoleon also 
-econected, that, in the preceding year, 1814, the 
French, with forty thousand combatants, had faced 
the army commanded by the same Blucher, and 
that under Prince Schwartzenberg, where the two 
emperors of Russia and Austria were present, with 
the king of Prussia ; that these combined armies, 
two hundred and forty thousand strong, had been 
beaten ; that, at the battle of Montmirail, the corps 
of Sacken, Yorck, and Kleist, forty thousand in 
number, had been attacked, beaten, and drove 
beyond the Marne, by sixteen thousand French ; 
ivhilst Marshal Blucher, with twenty thounand 
men, was held in check by the corps under ths 



MEMOIRS OF 



[ihlb. 



duke of Kagusa, consisting of no more than four 
tiiousand men ; and that Prince Schwartzenbeig-'a 
anny, of a hundred thousand, was restrained by 
the corps of the dukes of Reggio and Tarentum, 
with General Gerard's corps, not sxc< 
§i^hteea tl\ousasid 



1815.1 NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. IT* 



CHAPTER XI. 

State of (}ie Chambers — Opposition to the Views oj NapckoTt^ 
Effect of his Speech — Reflections — FornuUion of a Council—' 
Kepcrrt on tlie moral State of France — FoucM sold to the Bout- 
bans — Error cf Napoleon in employing his former Generals — 
Proclamation to the Army — Treachery discovered among the 
officers — Affairs of Charleroi, Marchiennes , Fleurus, Quatre- 
Bras, Ligny, ana St. Anmnd — Battle of Watei'loo — Movements 
of Marshal Grouchy. 

The approaching opening of the chambers ex- 
cited much apprehension in the mind of Napoleon ; 
he could not divest himself of his old prejudices. 
The remembrance of the former French assemblies 
haunted his imagination. "He feared," says one 
of his friends, "that the opposition inherent in rep 
rosentative governments would not be rightly com- 
prehended in France ; that it would make a bad 
imprfssion, and clog the sovereign power!" 

At last, tormented by the sudden application of 
tne popular system, and the dispositions which the 
deputies mspired, he rested all his security on the 
chamber of peers. 

Napoleon hoped that the chamber of deputies 
would elect his brother Lucien as their president ; 
but, consistent with the new tone of independence 
which the nation had assumed, their choice fell 
upon M. Lanjuinais, a person by no means agreea 
ble to the emperor. The chamber was also dis- 
pleased at not being furnished with the list of the 
new peers, which Napoleon purposely kept back, 
to see if they would elect Lucien as their president 
II Dupin maintained, that "the oath to be taken ta 
die sovereign by the nation, to be waJid and le- 



ISO MEMOIRS OP [1816 

gitimate, should not be administered by virtue of a 
decree that emanated from the will of the prince 
but by virtue of a law, which is the will of the na- 
tion constitutionally expressed." But, though this 
proposal was rejected, it extorted the confession 
from Bonaparte, that he perceived with sorrow that 
the deputies were not disposed to act with him, and 
that they let no opportunity slip of seeking a quar- 
rel. " I will act," said he, " with them as long as 
I can ; but if they think to make of me a King 
Log, or a second Louis XVL, they are under a 
mistake. I am not a man to receive the law from 
counsellors, or to allow Tiy head to be cut off by 
factionaries." 

On the 7th of June, he opened the chambers, and 
received the oaths of the peers. His speech made 
a deep impression on the assembly, and was receiv- 
ed with shouts of "Long live the emperor!" 

Napoleon, as he had announced, set out to join the 
army in the night of the 12th of June, and inspect- 
ed on the way the defensive works carrying on at 
Soissons and Laon ; and on the 13th he arrived at 
Avesnes. His looks, said one of his retinue, were 
frequently directed towards Paris. Placed as it 
were between two fires, he seemed less to fear the 
enemies he was going to contend with, than those 
he had left behind him. As it was thought the 
untoward disposition of the chambers would in- 
irease daily, it ia possible that Napoleon resolved 
to commence the war, vainly hoping that fortune 
would favour his arms, and that victory would rac- 
oncile him to the deputies, or supply him with ihe 
means of reducing them to order. 

The government, during his absence, consisted of 
q council, composed of Prince Joseph, president; 



1815.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 181 

Prince Lucien ; ministers — Prince Cambaceres, the 
prince of Echmuhl, the duke of Vicenza, the duke 
of Gaeta, the duke of Decres, the duke of Otranto, 
Count Mollien, Count Carnot, and others. Napo- 
leon said *d them, "To-night I set oiF: do your 
duty : th3 French army and I will do ours. I 
recommend to you union, zeal, and energy." 

It is evident that Napoleon was as far from being 
completely satisfied with his ministers as he was with 
the deputies ; for, when the duke of Vicenza soli- 
cited the favour of attending him to the army " If I 
do not leave you at Paris," said he, " on whou. can 
I depend ?" 

The day after his departure, the ministers of the 
interior and for foreign affairs repaired to the 
chamber of peers, and M. Carnot laid before them 
the situation of the emperor and the empire. 

On the 17th, a new report, made to the emperor 
by the minister of police, on the moral state oi 
France, was communicated to the two chambers. 
"Sire," said this minister, "it is my duty to tell you 
the whole truth. Our enemies are encouraged 
by instruments without and supporters within." 
Bordeaux, Marseilles, Toulouse, and the left bank 
of the Loire, Caen, and other places, were men- 
tioned as highly disaffected. Fouch6, who made 
this traitorous report, was not believed by many of 
Ui« deputies. They imagined it had been dra^vn 
jp by order of the emperor, with the intention of 
alarming them, and rendering them more docile to 
his will ; but P^ouch6 had distorted facts, with the 
design of giving encouragement to the Bourbons, 
to vv^hom he was sold, and of intimidating, cooling 
and dividing the partisans of Napoleon. 

The whole army was superb, and full of ardour 
voi,. II. 16 



182 



MEMOIRS OF 



[1816 



but the emperor, a slave to his a,ncienl '^e.bitudea 
committed the fault of replacing it ander the com- 
mand of its former chiefs. They were not now 
the same men, who, full of youth and ambition, 
were generously prodigal of their lives to acquire 
rank and fame ; but, enriched by the spoils of the 
enemy, or by Napoleon's bounty, they seemed to 
trust more to the fortune of their leader than to 
their own exertions. 

At this momentous period, waen the French 
army, with Napoleon at their head, were once 
more upon the point of crossing the Rubicon, the 
practice of issuing a pr(^lamation was not omitted. 
This was dated Avesnes, June 14, and marked with 
the rapidity, the abruptness, and the greatness of 
mind peculiar to the emperor : each division and 
regiment being duly drawn up, it was read at the 
head of each, as follows : — 

" Soldiers ! behold the anniversary of Marengo 
and Friedland, which has twice decided the desti- 
nies of Europe. It was then as at Austerlitz, as at 
Wagram. We gave our easy faith to the protes- 
tations and oaths of those princes, to whom we left 
our thrones. These same princes, having leagued 
among themselves, are now in arms against the in- 
dependence of France. Let us march to give 
them the meeting ; both they and we are still the 
same. Soldiers ! at Jena, against these same 
Prussians, we were one against three ; and at 
Montmirail, one against six. 

" As many of you as have been prisoners amongst 
the English, relate to your comrades what you suf- 
fered in their prisons and hulks. 

"The Saxons, the BeJgians, the Hanoverians, 
Hnd soldiers of the confederation o* the Rhine, la 



1815.] NAPOLE N RONAPARTE. 188 

ment that unhappy force which compels whem to 
jbey those princes who are the enemies of justice 
and liberty. They know the insatiable cupidity of 
this coalition. They know that these princes have 
already devoured twelve millions of Poles, a million 
of Saxons, and six millions of Belgians : and thus 
all the German states of the second order are 
their next destined proy. Madmen I a moment of 
prosperity has blinded them. The oppression and 
•humiliation of the French people are beyond their 
power ; if they enter France, they will find in it 
only their grave. 

" Soldiers ! we have marches to make, battles to 
give, and dangers to incur ; but with constancy 
discipline, and a resolution to conquer, the victor} 
will be ours, and the glory and liberty of France 
will be re-conquered. For all Frenchmen who 
have a heart, the moment is come to conquer oi 
die." 

In the evening, it appeared from the roll-call, 
that the force of the army amounted to a hundred 
and twenty-two thousand four hundred men, anc 
three hundred and fifty pieces of cannon. 

On the same night, the army, the movements of 
which the emperor had taken care to conceal, com- 
menced its march ; there was no appearance that 
the enemy had foreseen this event, and every thing 
oromised fair, when he w^as informed that General 
bburmont, Colonels Clouet and Villoutreys, and two 
other officers, had just gone over lo the enemy. 

A drum-major, who deserted from the French 
ranks some hours before General Bourmont and his 
.wo companions, was conducted, under an escort, 
to the head quarters of Feld-marshal Bluchev at 
NFamui , wliere he gave the first intelligence of Na 

2C 



A 84 MiiMOlRS OF [1815 

Doleon's intended attack. This was ccnfirmed by 
M. M. de Bourmont, Clouet, and Villoutreys, who 
added details with which the drum-major could not 
possibly be acquainted. Thus treachery, or disaf- 
fection to Napoleon, was not confined to Paris; 

To obviate the ill effects which these desertions 
were calculated to produce, Napoleon immediately 
made such alterations as he thought necessary, and 
tlien continued his march. 

On the 15th, he was at Jumiguan on the Eure : 
at three o'clock, his army moved in three columns, 
suddenly debouching at Beaumont, Maubege, pnd 
Philippeville. Having arrived at the Sambre, the 
Prussians that disputed the passage were driven to 
Charleroi, where the inhabitants saluted the French 
with continued shouts of " Trance for ever ! Long 
live the emperor !" During this time, the second 
corps passed the Sambre at Marchiennes, where 
the Prussians were again beaten and dispersed, and 
eventually retired to the heights of Fleurus, where 
they were broken and annihilated ; but they sold 
the victory dear. 

The affairs of Quartre-Bras and Ligny soon fol- 
lowed. Marsha] Blucher, conscious that the pos- 
session of Ligny would be highly advantageous to 
the French, commenced a battle, one of the most 
obstinate mentioned in history. For five hours two 
hundred pieces of cannon deluged the field with 
slaughter. All this time the French and Prussians, 
alternately the vanquished and the victors, disputed 
this ensanguined post hand to hand, and it was 
taken and retaken seven times in succession. The 
smokmg ruins of Ligny and St. Amand were heap 
ed with the dead and dying ; the ravine before Lig 
ny resembled a river of blood, on which carcasses 



1815] NAPOLEON BONAIMRTE. 185 

were floating. At Q,uatre-Bras there was a similal 
spectacle : a hollow way, tliat skirted the wood. 
was filled up with the bleeding corpses of the 
brave Scotch, and French cuirassiers. The impe- 
rial guard fought with shouts of " The emperor for 
ever ! No quarter :" General Gerard's corps, hav- 
ing expended all their ammunition, called out for 
more cartridges and more Prussians. The loss of 
the Prussians was estimated at 25,000 men, occa- 
sioned by the tremendous fire of tlie French artil- 
lery Blucher, unhorsed by the cuirassiers, escaped 
them only by a miracle. The prince of Brunswick 
himself, and a number of officers of distinction, were 
killed. The French lost near 5000 men and several 
generals. Prince Jerome, previously wounded at 
the passage of the Sambre, had his hand slightly 
grazed by a musket shot. He remained constantly 
at the head of his division. 

At Ligny, the French lost General Gerard, who 
was mortally wounded, and six thousand five hun- 
dred men. The victory of Ligny did not quite 
satisfy the emperor : he said, " If i\Iarshal Ney had 
attacked the English with all his forces, he would 
have crushed them, ^nd he might have come to 
have given the Prussians the finishing blow. 
However, the English army was separated from the 
Prussians ; and Napoleon, without losing time, wa 
for attacking the English at day-break ; but so 
many objections were made to his plan, that he 
consented to let the army repose. 

On the 17th, he divided his troops into two col- 
nmns ; one, of sixty-five thousand men, led by Na- 
poleon, followed the English. The light artillery, 
the lancers of General Colbert and Colonel Sourd 
kept close after them to the entranre of the fores* 
16 * 



IM6 MEMOIRS OP [181?> 

jf Soignes, where the duko of Wellinglos tooK up 
his position. The other column, thirt3'-six thousand 
strong, under Marshal Grouchy, was detached to 
observe and pursue the Prussians. 

The night of the 17th was dreadful, and seemed 
to presage the calamities of the day. The violent 
and incessant rain did not allow of a moment's rest 
to the army. The bad state of the roads hinde*red 
the arrival of provisions, and most of the soldiers 
were without food. The emperor thought that 
Lord Wellington, separated from the Prussians, 
would not venture to maintain his position in the 
forest, and, next morning, was surprised that the 
English had not quitted their positions, but, on the 
contrary, were disposed to accept battle. He made 
several generals reconnoitre the English, and from 
one of them he learned, that they were defended 
'^ by an army of cannons, and mountains of infan- 
try." Napoleon immediately ordered Genera] 
Grouchy to push the Prussians briskly, and to ap- 
proach the main army as speedily as possible, as he 
was probably about to engage in a grand battle 
In the meanwhile, Blucher had escaped Grouchy 
and opened a communication with Wellington 
through Ohaim. The French officer, who carried 
the emperor's letter to Grouchy, thought proper to 
take an immense circuit. In the interval, the offi- 
cers consulted by the emperor were of different 
sentiments. Some of the most brave, but more 
prudent than others, remonstrated that the ground 
was deluged by rain ; that the troops, the cavalry 
in particular, could not manoeuvre, whilst the 
English army would have the immense advantage 
of awaiting the French on firm ground in its in- 
irenchnients, .ind that it would l*e better to em- 



1815.] NAPOLEON BONAPAPTE. 18" 

aeavour to turn these. The emperor, Kaviugf heard 
all, determined to attack the English in front. 

During the preceding night, the emperor had 
given all the necessary orders for the battle of the 
next day, although many things indicated that it 
would not take place. In the four days that had 
elapsed since hostilities had commenced, by a bril- 
iant victory he had surprised and separated the 
two armies, the English and the Prussians. This 
A^as much for his glory, but not enough for the si* 
dation in which he was placed. Had it not been 
for three hours' delay, which his left, undo" Marshal 
Ney, had occasioned, in the afternoon of the 17th, 
he would have attacked Wellington and the allies 
on that day, which might have crowned the success 
of the campaign. As it was, the emperor went out 
on foot, about one in the morning, accompanied by 
his grand marshal. He visited the whole line of 
main guards. The forest of Soignes, occupied by 
the British, appeared like one continued blaze ; the 
horizon between that spot and the farms of La 
Belle Alliance and La Haye Sainte was brightened 
with the fires of numerous bivouacks ; the most 
profound jijlence reigned. The Anglo-Belgian ar 
my was wrapped in sleep, owing to the fatigues il 
had undergone on the four preceding days. Arriv- 
ing near the wood of Hougoumont, he heard the 
noise of a column in march, which soon ceased, 
and the rain fell in torrents. Several officers, sent 
to reconnoitre, and others, who returned to head- 
quarters at half past three, confirmed the opinion 
that the British had made no movement. At four 
D'clock, the scouts brought in a peasant, who had 
r'erved as a guide to a brigade of English cavalry 
which went to take a position on th3 left, at the viJ 



188 MEMOIRS OF [1815 

lage of Ohaim. Two Belgian deserters, who hao 
just quitted their regiments, reported that their ar- 
my were preparing for battle, and that no retro- 
grade movement had taken place; that Belgium 
prayed for the success of the emperor, while the 
English and the Prussians were equally unpo^ulai 
there. 

The forces shown by the enemy were estimated 
differently ; but the French officers, most accustom- 
ed to these calculations, considered them, including 
the corps of flankers, to amount to ninety thou- 
sand men, which agreed with the general accounts 
that were given. The French army was now only 
sixty-nine thousand strong, but still victory ap- 
peared to be certain. The sixty-nine thousand 
men were good troops ; whereas, in the enemy's 
army, the English only, amounting to forty thou- 
sand at most, could be reckoned as such. 

At eight o'clock, the emperor's breakfast was 
served up : to this many general officers sat down. 
''The enemy's army," said Napoleon, "is superior 
to ours by nearly a fourth ; there are, notwithstand- 
ing, ninety chances in our favour to ten against us." 
—'•■'Without doubt," said Marshal Ney, who had 
just entered, "if the duke of Wellington were 
simple enough to wait for your majesty ; but I come 
to announce, that his columns are already in full re- 
treat, and are disappearing in the forest of Soig- 
nes." — " You have seen badly," replied the empe- 
ror ; " it is too late : he would expose himself to 
certain ruin by such a step : he has thrown the 
dice — they are now for us." At this moment some 
officers of artillery, who had rode over the plain, 
stated that the artillery could manoeuvre, though 
viith difficulty, which would be greatly diminished 



1815.] Napoleon bonaparte. 1 8b 

in another hour. The emperor mounled irrinedi- 
ately, and went to the skirmishers opposite La 
Haye Sainte. After some moments' reflection^ he 
dictated the order of battle. The army now moved 
forward, marching in elaven columns, which formed 
with so much precision, that no confusion whatever 
arose. The emperoi went through the ranks : it 
would be difficult to express the enthusiasm which an- 
imated all the soldiers ; the infantry elevated their 
caps on their bayonets ; the cuirassiers, dragoons, 
and light cavalry, their helmets on their sabres. 
Meanwhile the emperor gave his last orders, and 
proceeded, at the head of his guard, to the summit 
of the six W's, on the heights of Rossomme. 
From this spot he had a complete view of the two 
armies, the prospect extending far to the right and 
left of the field of battle. Marshal Ney obtained 
the honour of commanding the grand attack of the 
3entre. He sent one of his aids-de-camp to say 
that every thing was ready. Before giving his 
final orders, the emperor wished to cast another 
glance over the whole, and perceived, in the direc- 
tion of St Lambert, a dark mass, which appeared to 
him like troops. Upon this he asked the adjutant- 
general what he saw near St. Lambert. « I think 
I see five or six thousand men," replied the general 
" It is probably Grouchy." All the glasses of the 
staff were now fixed in that direction. The weathei 
was rather foggy. Some maintained they were no 
troops, but merely trees, which were perceived 
<(V'hiie others said, columns were in position there. 
This state of uncertainty was ended by the or- 
der for three thousand light cavalry to effect a 
junction, if they belonged to Marshal Grouchy, oi 
t€ keep them in check, if they were hqm 



190 MEMOIRS OP [1815 

mies. In a quarter of an hour, a Prussian black 
hussar was brought in, who was the bearer of 
letter, was very intelligent, and gave all the in- 
formation required. It then appeared, that the 
column at St. Lambert was the advanced guard of 
the Prussian General Bulow, who was coming up 
with thirty thousand men. The duke of Dalmatia 
immediately despatched the intercepted letter, and 
the report of the hussar, to Marshal Grouchy, to 
whom he reiterated the order to march - without 
delay on St. Lambert, and to take General Bulow's 
corps in the rear. It was now eleven o'cloek : the 
officer had only to proceed four or five leagues to 
reach Marshal Grouchy, and he promised to be 
with that officer in an hour. A short time after, 
General Daumont sent to say, that some well- 
mounted scouts, that preceded him, had met pa- 
trols of the enemy in the vicinity of St. Lambert ; 
and that he had sent chosen patrols, in various 
directions, to communicate with Marshal Grouchy, 
for the purpose of conveying orders and reports. 
The emperor immediately ordered Count Lobau to 
cross the causeway of Charleroi, and to support the 
light cavalry towards St. Larrbert; choosing a 
good intermediate position, where he might, with 
ten thousand men, check thirty thousand Prussians, 
if necessary, or to attack them briskly the moment 
he should hear the first cannon-shots of the troops 
which it was si pposed Marshal Grouchy had de- 
tached m their rear. These events caused some 
change in the emperor's first plan of the battle : he 
was already deprived of ten thousand men, whom 
he was thus obliged to send against General Bulow 
He no longer had ai\y more than fifty-nine thousand 
men against ninety thousand of the enemy, who 



i815J NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 191 

had ju^t Deen re-enforct d by thirty thoi jsand men, 
and already ranged in the field of battle. " We 
had ninety chances for us in the morning," said he 
to the duke of Dalmatia ; "the arrival of Bulow 
makes as lose thirty ; but we have still sixty against 
forty ; and, if Grouchy repairs the horrible fault he 
nas committed, by amusing himself at Gembloux, 
the victory will be thereby the more decisive ; for 
the corps of Bulow must in that case be entirely 
lost." 

It was now noon ; the skirmishers were engaged 
on all the line ; but there was no severe action, ex- 
cept on the left, in the wood, and at the castle of 
Hougoumont. The emperor sent an order to Mar- 
shal Ney to commence the fire of his batteries, 
take possession of the farm of La Haye Sainte, 
occupy the village, and thus intercept all commu- 
nication between the enemy and Bulow's corps. 
Eighty guns soon made an immense havoc over all 
the left of the English line : one of its divisions 
was entirely destroyed by round and case-shot. In 
the meanwhile, the emperor perceived that the Eng- 
lish general was preparing a grand charge of 
cavalry on the left, and he galloped to the spot 
the charge had been made, and repulsed a column 
of infantry, which advanced on the low ground, 
taken two eagles, and disorganized seven pieces oi 
cannon. A brigade of Milhaud's cuirassiers being 
ordered to charge the enemy's horse, they were 
broken in their turn, and the greatest part of them 
remained on the field ; the guns were retaken, and 
the infantry protected. Many charges of infantry 
and cavalry followed ; and, after three hours' fights 
ing, the farm of La Haye Sainte, in spito uf the 
'•esislance of the Scotch regiments, was occupied 



i99 



MEMOIRS OF 



|i8i 



by the Frericli infantry. The fifth and sixth Eng- 
lish divisions were destroyed. General Pictor 
remained dead on the field. During this combat 
the emperor rode through the line of the cuirassiers 
and that of the guard, in ^the middle of the dis- 
charges of the enemy's musketry and artillery ; the 
Orave General Devaux was killed by his side : Gen- 
eral Lallemand succeeded him, and was wounded 
soon after. 

Disorder at this time began to prevail in the Eng- 
lish army : the baggage, wagon-train, and wound- 
ed, seeing the French approach the causeway of 
Brussels, and the principal opening of the forest, 
hastened to effect their retreat: all the English, 
Belgians, and Germans, who had been sabred by 
the cavalry, precipitated themselves on Brussels. 
It was now four o'clock, and victory might then 
have decided for Napoleon, had not General Bu- 
low's corps effected its powerful diversion. At 
two o'clock, the emperor learned from Gembloux 
that Marshal Grouchy, instead of setting out from 
that place at dawn of day, had not quitted his camp 
there at ten o'clock ! 

As the Prussians now approached, the fire from 
their field-pieces fell on the causeway in front and 
rear of La Belle Alliance, where the emperor was 
standing with his guard ; and the Prussian case- 
BJiot ploughed up the ground. The emperor then 
ordered General Duhesme to advance with the 
young guard ; in a quarter of an hour their formi- 
dable artillery commenced its fire, and soon acquir- 
ed the superiority ; undulations were observed iV' 
The Prussian lines ; but they still continued out- 
flanking the French right, till opposed by Lieuten 
int General Morand, with four battalions of ^le old 



1815.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. \?y^ 

guaid, and sixteen pieces of cannon. General Bu- 
[ow was repulsed, and by degrees his whole Jne 
fell back. It was now seven o'clock. 

'J'wo hours had elapsed since the count Saint 
d'Erlon had taken possession of La Haye Saiiite. 
outflanked all the English left, and the right of 
'^^eneral Bulow. The English cavalry, being re 
pulsed by the cuirassiers and the chasseurs of the 
gaard, abandoned all the field of battle between 
La Haye Sainte and Mount St. Jean, which the 
whole of their left had occupied, and v/ere deprived 
of all means of retreat on the right. On seeing 
these brilliant charges, cri<^«t of victory were heard 
ail over the field, upon which the emperor said, "It 
IS too soon by an hou^ but we must support what 
IS done." He tJie** sent an order to the cuirassiers 
of Kellerman, who <vere on the left, to move briskly 
to support the cavalry on the low grounds. At 
this moment. General Bulow threatened the flank 
and rear of the army ; it was important not to make 
any retrograde motion, but to maintain this position, 
though prematurely taken. At this critical moment 
the rapid advance of three thousand cuirassiers, de 
filing under the cannonade of the Prussians, and 
shouting "Live the emperor!" made a happy diver 
sion. Tne cavalry advanced as if in pursuit of the 
English army ; but the army of General Bulow still 
made some progress on the French flank and rear. 
The soldiers and officers sought to divine in the 
look of the chief, w^hether they were conquerors 
or in danger, while he breathed nothing but confi- 
dence. It was the fiftieth regular battle in which 
Napoleon had commanded within twenvy years. In 
the mean time, tJie division of the heavy cavalry of 
\}\e gu'jrd, in the second ine, under General Guyot, 

^^r, f 17 



194 



MEMOIRS OF 



ll8Id 



behind Ke Herman's cuirassiers, folli wed at a brisk 
trot to the low ground. On perceiving this move- 
ment the emperor sent Count Bertrand to recall it 
for it was his reserve ; but it was too late, and a 
retrograde movement was still dangerous. Thus 
was the emperor deprived of his reserve of cavalry 
ever since five o'clock. This reserve, if properly 
applied, might have given him the victory : still 
these twelve thousand select horse performed prod- 
igies of valour ; overthrew all the more numerous 
cavalry of the enemy, broke through many squares 
of infantry, disorganized their ranks, took posses- 
sion of sixty pieces of cannon, and seized six stands 
of colours in the midst of the squares. These 
colours were presented to the emperor at Belle 
Alliance, by three chasseurs of the guard and three 
cuirassiers. The English believed the battle lost 
a second time. Ponsonby's brigade, being charg- 
ed by the red lancers of the guard, commanded by 
General Colbert, was broken through, and its gene- 
ral overthrown by several lance wounds. The 
prince of Orange was severely wounded, and on 
the point of being taken : but, the brave cavalry 
not being supported, as a strong mass of infantry 
was still necessary to repel General Bulow's attack, 
they were obliged to confine themselves to the 
preservation of the field of battle, which had Deer 
conquered. 

About seven o'clock, when Bulow's division was 
repulsed, the cavalry still keeping its ground, the 
victory was gained ; sixty -nine thousand French had 
oeaten one hundred and twenty thousand men : joy 
was in e^ ery countenance, and hope in every heart 

But this state of exultation was not to continue 
the Prussian marshal Blucher was rapidly approach 



1815.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 193 

tiig the scene of action with thirty thousand frosh 
troops. Wellington, who was in full retreat, now 
halted. This general had been 'n the utmost de- 
spair, often wishing " that either night or the Prus 
sians would come ;" but now, instead of defeat, he 
saw his safety. The brigade of English cavalry, 
which was at Ohaim, also joined him ; while the 
French saw the victory snatched out of their hands 
by the arrival of Marshal Biucher, with thirty thou- 
sand fresh troops, which increased the allied army 
in line to nearly one hundred and fifty thousand 
men ; that is to say, in a proportion of two and a 
half against one. Perceiving these numerous col- 
umns arrive, some regiments made a retrograde 
movement : the emperor perceived this : it was of 
the highest importance to restore firmness to the 
cavalry ; and, seeing that it would take him a quar- 
ter of an hour more to rally his guard, he put him- 
self at the head of four battalions, and advanced or 
the left in front of La Haye Sainte, sending aids 
de-camp along the whole line to cheer the troops. 
by pretending that Marshal Grouchy had arrived, 
and that with a little firmness victory would be re- 
stored. But, in a word, all the efforts of the French 
were useless ; the plain, of which they had been in 
possession, was soon inundated by the enemy ; La 
Haye was retaken, and two thousand English cav- 
alry penetrated between General Reille and the 
guard. The disorder now became dreadful through- 
out the field of battle. The emperor put himself 
under the protection of one of the squares of his 
troops. The night greatly augmented the disorder. 
If the troops could have seen the emperor, they 
;iiigh^ have rallied ; whereas nothing could be done 
•ritii ..ertaintj". The guard retreated ; the fire o/ 



J 86 MEMOIRS OP [1815 

tho enemy was only four hundred toises in the reai 
of the army, and the causeways were cut off. Foul 
pieces of cannon, which were planted there, kept 
up a brisk fire upon the plain ; the last dischar^^-e 
wounded Lord Uxbridge. The emperor could not 
retreat except through the fields : there was no 
time to be lost : cavalry, artillery, infantry, were 
all confusedly mingled together. The staff, only, 
gained the little town of Gemappe, hoping to be 
able to rally a rear-guard there : but the disorder 
was horrible ; all its efforts were made in vain. It 
w".-: iiow eleven o'clock. 

The allies, according to their own accounts, lost 
sixty thousand men, viz. elev'en thousand three 
hundred English ; three thousand five hundred 
Hanoverians ; eight thousand Belgians, troops of 
Nassau, Brunswick, &c. : the loss of the Anglo- 
Belgian army amounted to twenty-two thousand 
eight hundred ; to which add thirty-eight thousand 
Prussians ; this makes a general total of sixty 
thousand eight hundred men. The losses of the 
French, including those during the route, and till 
their arrival at Paris, were nearly forty thousand. 

Independent of the fault on the part of Grouchy, 
in not coming up to the field of battle, the French 
accounts allow, " that many other causes had great 
influence upon the fortunes of that day. In other 
times, the French, though so inferior in number 
would have gained the victory ; which, mdeed the 
obstinate and unyielding bravery of the English. 
troops alone prevented them from c otaining." 

At the most critical juncture of this battle, when 
the irresistible firmness of the British had been pu 
to tlie severest test, the army, who, with the genera 
himseJf, had begun to doubt the fortune of the day 



1815.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. IS'' 

as one of the English writers observed, " were sud 
denly and unexpectedly cheered by hearing the 
sound of the Prussian cannon." It was also re- 
marked, that the French had retired from the last 
attack in confusion, and therefore the duke of 
Wellington immediately advanced with the whole 
line of his infantry and cavalry, and, attacking the 
enemy in his turn, succeeded in forcing him from 
the heights before in his possession, while the 
Prussians, under Marshal Blucher, were equally 
active and successful on the enemy's flank. About 
nine o'clock, the French gave up the field, leaving 
behind them, as J ir as Lord Wellington could 
judge, one hundred and fifty pieces of cannon, with 
, ammunition, &.c. 

A French author relates, that, at the close of the 
battle of Waterloo, when the charge made by Na- 
poleon had failed, and the English charged in their 
turn, some of their cavalry, with some tiralleurs, ap- 
proached within a hundred and fifty toises of where 
the emperor was standing, with only Soult, Drouot, 
Bertrand, and himself. Close to them was a small 
French battalion, drawn up in a square. Some 
shots from two or three field-pieces, discharged to 
drive away the English cavalry, which still contin- 
ued to approach, carried away the Marquis of 
Anglesea's leg. Napoleon then placed himself 
with the column, and wanted to charge, exclaiming, 
" 11 faut mourir ic' ; ilfaut mourir sur le champ dt 
hattaille — We must aie here ; we must die on the 
field of battle !" — The English were still firing at 
them, and they expected every moment to be charg- 
ed. Soult, laying hold of Napoleon's bridle, ex- 
claimed, that he would not be killed, but taken 
prisoner ; and finally, with the others, compelled 
17* 



198 MEMOIRS OF [I8IO1 

him to leave the field. Napoleon was so fatigued, 
that, on the road to Gemappe, he would have fre- 
quently fallen from his horse, had he not been 
supported by General Gorgaud and two other 
persons, who were his only attendants for some time. 
Of the melancholy catastrophe of this battle, we 
have also the following account : " One last bat- 
diion of reserve, the illustrious and unfortunate 
remains of the granite column of Marengo, had 
remained unshaken. The emperor retired into the 
ranks of these brave men, still commanded by Cam- 
bron. He formed them into a square, and advanced 
at their head to meet the enemy. All his generals. 
Ney, Soult, Bertrand, Drouot, Corbineau, Flahaut, 
Labedoyere, Gorgaud, &c. drew their swords, and 
became soldiers. The old grenadiers, incapable 
of fear for their own lives, conjured the emperor to 
withdraw : ' Retire,' said one of them ; ' Death 
shuns you.' The officers around him seized his 
bridle, and dragged him away. Cambron and his 
brave men crowded round their expiring eagles, 
and bade Napoleon an eternal adieu. The English, 
moved by their heroic resistance, conjured them to 
surrender. ' No,' said Cambron ; ' the guard can 
die, but not yield.' At the same time they all 
••ushed on the enemy with shouts of, ' liong live 
vhe emperor !' The English and Prussians, from 
whom they still detained the palm of victory, united 
against this band of heroes, and cut them down. 
Some, covered with wounds, fell to the ground 
weltering in their blood ; others, more fortunate 
were killed outright ; in fine, those whose hope 
were not answered by death, shot one another, tha 
they might not survive their companions in arms, 
die by the hands of their enemies '" 



i815.] NAPOLEON BONVPARTE. 199 

Respecting Marshal Grouchy, it appears, that> 
conformably to the first orders given him, he con- 
fined himself to observing the Prussians. On the 
18th, at nine in the morning, he quitted his canton- 
ments, to march to Wavres. When he reached 
VValhain, he heard the cannonading at Mont St. 
Jean. Its continually increasing briskness left no 
doubt that it was an extremely serious affair. Gen- 
eral Excelmans proposed to march towards the 
guns by the right bank of the Dyle. " Do you not 
feel," said he to the marshal, " that the firing makes 
the ground trem * under our feet ? Let us march 
straight toward vhere they are fighting." But 
.\*i marshal co .unued his slow movements, and at 
iWo o'clock arrived before Wavres. At seven 
o'clock, he received, according to his own account, 
the order from the major-general to march to St 
Lambert, and attack Bulow, which step ought to 
have been suggested to him, before that time, b} 
the tremendous cannonading at Waterloo, and by 
the order, given in the first despatch received in 
the morning, to draw near to the grand army. On 
the 22 d, the whole of Grouchy's corps was assem- 
bled at Rocroi ; on the 24th, it formed a junction 
with the wreck of the army of Waterloo, and, on 
ti\e 25th, it r^archod from Rheims to the capitaL 

2D 



/ 



BUO MEMOIRS OF flSlfi 



CHAPTER XII. 

irrivcd of Najhikon at Paris — His EmbarraiiTnent and Dt 
spondcficy — His Eriemies among the Depiuies — The Chambei 
declares itself in a State of Permanence — Hostility between tlu 
Emperor and the Chamber), —Agrees to abdicate — Declaration 
to the French People, proclaiming Napoleon II. Emperor of the 
French — Marshal Grouchy's Army enters France — Napoleon 
removes to Malmaison — Arrives at Rochefort — Goes an board 
the Bellerophon — Arrives at Plymoutli — His Protest against the 
Violation of his Liberty — Goes on board the Northumberland — 
His Conduct — Affection of the Empress Marie Louise . 

On Napoleon's arrival at Paris, he went to the 
Elyseum, where he was received by the duke of 
Vicenza, his censor in prosperity, his friend in ad- 
versity. He appeared sinking under grief and fa- 
tigue : his breast was affected ; his respiration 
difficult. After a painful sigh, he said to the duke, 
" The army performed prodigies ; a panic terror 
seized it ; all was lost. Ney conduct, j himself 
like a madman ; he got my cavalry massacred for 
me. I can say no more ; I must have two hours' 
rest, to enable me to set about business ; I am 
choking here ;" and he laid his hand upon 
his heart. After having ordered a bath, and a few 
moments' silence, he said, " My intention is to 
assemble the two chambers in an imperial sitting, 
and demand from them the means of saving the 
country." The duke of Vicenza informed him that 
tlie deputies appeared more hostile than ever ; that 
ne was sorry to see him in Paris ; that it would 
have been better not to have separated from the 
urmy. — " I have no longer an army," said the em- 
peror. " I have nothing but fugitives. I shall *ind 



1815.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 201 

men, but I have no muskets left. I think you have 
formed a wrong judgment of the deputies ; the ma 
jority is good ; only Lafayette, Lanjuinais, Flau- 
guerge, and a few others, are against me." — The 
arrival of the princes Joseph and Lucien interrupted 
the emperor. They confirmed the duke of Vicenza's 
opinion of the disaffection of the chamber, and ad- 
vised Napoleon to postpone the assembling of an 
imperial session. 

Whilst he was in the bath, the ministers and 
great officers of state hastened to the Elyseum, 
anxiously questioning the aids-de-camp and offi- 
cers who had returned with Napoleon. They told 
the whole truth ; said that it was all over with the 
emperor, and that France could only be saved by 
his abdication. 

Soon after assembling his council, he said to 
Count Regnault, " Speak plainly ; it is my abdica- 
tion they want, is it not ?" — " I believe so, sire : 
painful as it is to me, it is my duty to open your 
majesty's eyes to your true situation. It is even 
possible, that, if you should not resolve to offer it of 
your own accord, the chamber would venture to 
demand your abdication." 

Prince Lucien proposed dispensing with the 
chamber, and that Napoleon should declare him- 
self dictator, in which he was seconded by Carnot. 
The emperor, interposing, said he did not fear the 
deputies : do what they might, he would stil be 
the idol of the people and the army. A single 
word from him would cause all the deputies to be 
knocked on the head « But while I fear nothing 
on my om n account, I fear every thing for France '* 

Whilst Napoleon was flattering himself that the 
opinions of his ministers, previously divided, were 



202 MEMOIRS OF [1813 

apon the point of coming to a favourable issue, th€ 
council was interrupted by i message from tKi 
chamber of representatives, declaring that the inde- 
pendence of th3 nation was threatened ; that the 
chamber was in a state of permanence, and thai 
any attempt to dissolve it should be considered high 
treason ; that the army of the line, and national 
guard, who had fought, and still fought, had de- 
served well of their country. The mmisters of 
war, of foreign affairs, and of the interior, were 
so desired to repair immediately to the assembly, 
ft was evident that the whole of these articles were 
an usurpation of the sovereign authority. The 
emperor now, for the first time, saw his error. " 1 
was right," said he, " in thinking that I ought to 
dismiss those fellows before I departed ; it is all 
over ; they are upon the point of ruining France." 
He broke up the sitting, saying, " J[f it must be 5o, 
[will abdicate.''^ 

At length the ministers, with Prince Lucien at 
their head, were introduced into the chamber of 
deputies. The pi'ince announced himself as com- 
«nissio^ier extraordinary, bearing the emperor's mes- 
sage, which contained a brief sketch of the disas 
ters experienced at Mont St. Jean, and suggested 
the formation of a committee of five members from 
each of the chambers, to concert with ministers 
the proper measures for securing the public safety, 
and treating for a peace with the combined powers 
The ministers were overwhelmed with questions aa 
absurd as they were arrogant, from all the deputies 
who had risen. M. Henry Lacoste was able, aflei 
many insuccessful attempts, to make himself 
heard. "The veil, then, is torr,," said he ; " oui 
misfortunes are made known. You talk *o us o/ 



1815.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTiE. 2031 

peace ; but what new basis will you give to youf 
negotiations ? You know, as well as we, that En 
rope has declared war against Napoleon alone 
Will yoL henceforth separate the nation from Na- 
poleon ? For my part, I declare I see but one man 
between us and peace. Let him speak, and the 
country will be saved." This was plain enough 
for the abdication, and called up Prince Lucien and 
others, who accused the allies of endeavouring to 
separate the nation from Napoleon, in order to 
vanquish and subdue it. The friends of Napoleon 
seemed as if they would gain a majority in his fa- 
vour, when M. de Lafayette, obtaining a hearing, 
gaid, — " You accuse us cf failing in our duties 
towards Napoleon. Have you forgotten all that 
we have done for him ; that we followed liim in the 
sands of Africa, and in the deserts of Russia ; and 
that the bones of our sons and brothers every 
where attest our fidelity ?" — A number of voices 
were now heard together in confusion, accusing or 
defending Napoleon ; but at length it was agreed, 
that a committee of five members should be formed, 
to concert measures with ministers. Prince Lucien 
aftervvards obtained the same concession from the 
chamber of peers. It is sufficient to add, that, 
after Napoleon had said, the chambers " dare not" 
compel him to abdicate, he sent them word, " that, 
if he were an obstacle to the nation's being admit- 
ted to treat of its independence, he should always 
be ready to make the sacrifice required of him.' 

Importunities on this subject assailed the emperoi 
from all his friends. Prince Lucien, who had nevei 
ceased to advise him to make head against the 
storm, was now joined by Prince Josepli, and both 
*gr«^ed that the time was passed, and that it was 



f04 MEMOIRS OF [1816 

necessary to submit. The resistance of the empe- 
ror was overcome, and, with an ironical smile, he 
said to the duke of Otranto, " Write to those gen- 
tlemen to make themselves easy : they shall soon 
be satisfied." 

Prince Lucien then took up the pen, and wrote, 
from the dictation of his brother, the following 

DECLARATION TO THE TRENCH PEOPLE : 

" In commencing a war to maintain the indepen- 
dence of the nation, I reckoned on the joint efforts 
of all, the unanimity of all, and the concurrence 
of all the national authorities. From these, I 
nad reason to hope for success, ai.tv I set at 
defiance all the declarations of the foreign powers 
against me. 

" Circumstances appear to be changed : I offer 
up myself as a sacrifice to the animosity of the 
enemies of France : may they prove themselves 
sincere in their declarations, and that they really 
aimed at me, personally, alone ! My political life is 
at an end : and I proclaim my son, under the title 
of Napoleon II., emperor of the French. 

" The present ministers wJl form provisionally 
the council of government. The interest I feel 
in what concerns my son, induces me to desiio 
the chambers to form a new regency without delay 
by a law. 

" Unite, all of you, for the public safety, and to 
remain an independent nation. 

(Signed) "Napolboji 

* Palace of the Elyseum^ 
June the 22rf, 3815." 



I815.J Napoleon bonapakte 2v/0 

When this declaration was sent to the chambers 
Fouch^, the duke of Otranto, who had been one of 
the greatest intriguers, recommended Napoleon to 
their attention and protection. In return, Jiey 
sent him a deputation, expressing the respect and 
gratitude with which they accepted the noble sacri- 
fice he had made to the independence and happi- 
ness of the French people. These congratulations 
were coldly received. The chamber of peers 
followed the example of the deputies ; and the 
emperor recommended to them not to forget that 
he had abdicated only in favour of his son. 

Just after the abdication had been made known, 
the army of Marshal Grouchy, which was supposed 
to have been destroyed, entered France ; and it 
appeared that Prince Jerome, Marshal Soult, Gene- 
rals Morand, Colbert, and others, had succeeded 
in rallying the wreck of Waterloo, and formed a 
body of fifty or sixty thousand men, whose sen- 
timents in favour of Napoleon had imdergone no 
alteration. 

Whilst the chamber of deputies continued to 
discuss a number of questions, without coming to 
any specific conclusions, Fouch^ began to be uneasy 
at Napoleon's residence bei.ig so near them as the 
Elyseum. His party first requested that the cham- 
ber should require the ex-emperor, in the name of 
the country, to remove from the capital ; but, this 
having no effect, endeavours were made to frighten 
him, by suggestions that attempts were making 
against his life. It is acknowledged that nothing 
could have been more easy than to carry oft' oi 
a^^sassinate Napoleon. His palace, which, a few 
days before, could scarcely contain the crowd of 
ambitious men and servile courtiers, soon became s 

VOL. II. 18 



206 MEMOIRS OF flSl* 

vast solitude. Even his guard had been reduced 
to a few old grenadiers, whilst a single sentinel 
scarcely in uniform, watched his gate. But, leat 
his residing m an imperial palace might cause the 
sincerity of his abdication to be called in question, 
Napoleon himself- determined to remove. 

On the •25th, at noon. Napoleon set off for Mal- 
maison, where he was received by the princess 
Hortensia. Her situation and that of her brother 
must have wounded her to the heart, yet she found 
sufficient strength of mind to suppress her sorrows, 
and console Napoleon's attendants. "Restraining 
her own tears," said M. Fleury, " she reminded us, 
with the wisdom of a philosopher and the sweet- 
ness of an angel, that we should submit with do- 
cility to the decrees of Providence." 

At Malmaison, Napoleon, in a great measure 
recovered his spirits, activity and energy, and he 
could not suppress his desire of sending an address 
to the brave soldiers of the army before Paris, da- 
ted Malmaison, June 25th, 1815, and concluding — 
"Yet a few efforts, and the coalition is dissolved." 
This address the government would not allow to 
be published in the Moniteur. 

The complaints, the regrets, the threats, that 
escaped Napoleon every day, alarmed the promo- 
ters of his fall more and more. Upon reflection 
they turned pale at the name of Napoleon, and 
■•olicited the government, night and day, to make 
him embark as soon as possible. His first inten- 
tion was to go to England, and there place himsell 
under the protection of hospitality and the laws. 
The advice of others induced him to incline to the 
United State? An American captain at Havre 
had been completely gained ; and several Ameri 



1815] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 20V 

cans at Paris wrote to him, of their own accord, t4 
offer their services, and assure him, in the name of 
their fellow-citizens, that he would be received at 
Washington with tlie sentiments of respect, admi 
ration, and devotion, tliat were his due ; but Na- 
poleon refused these offers ; though he would have 
accepted of two frigates from the French govern- 
ment, to have conveyed him to America, provided 
they would place them at his disposal, with neces- 
sary passports and safe conducts from Lord Wel- 
lington ; but it seems the French government was 
not desirous at bottom of letting Napoleon depart. 
In fact, he was a prisoner at Malmaison, from the 
time that General Count Beker, a member of the 
chamber of deputies, was named commander of the 
emperor's guard, and directed to Malmaison to 
watch over the conservation of the person of Na- 
poleon, and to prevent ill-disposed persons from 
making use of his name to excite disturbances. 
When Count Beker first came there, it was suppos- 
ed he had orders to arrest Napoleon ; and Gorgaud 
and some officers swore no one should lay a hand 
on him. However, this officer had already explain- 
ed the nature of his mission ; and the emperor 
ordered his attendants to pay General Beker a 
proper respect. It is said he knew perfectly well 
how to reconcile his duty with the attentions that 
were due to Napoleon. Still the princess Horlen- 
sia was so affected by this circumstance, that she 
exclaimed, " O, my God !" lifting her eyes to 
heaven, "was I born to see the emperor i, jirisoner 
to the French at Malmaison ?" 

Thus Napoleon remained at Mahiaison, almost 
alone, till the minister of marine came to inform him 
ihat the enemy were at Compeigne, and that the cojd 



208 



MEMOIRS OF 



[1815 



niittee, apprehensive for his safety, requested hiia 
to depart incog. He promised to depart ; but, when 
he heard the distant sound of cannon, his whole 
body thrilled, and he lamented, in a tone of despair, 
that he was condemned to remain far from the field 
of battle. He ordered General Beker to be called, 
and prevailed on him to go to Paris, and convey a 
letter to the government, offering to take the com- 
mand of the army, and beat the enemy ; not that 
he intended to seize the sovereign power, but to 
pursue his journey as soon as victory should have 
given a favourable turn to the negotiations with 
foreign powers. The duke of Otranto read the 
letter of Napoleon aloud, and exclaimed, "Is he 
laughing at us !" His proposal was rejected ; 
though it is clear that he had different expectations, 
having ordered his chargers to be saddled immedi- 
ately after Beker's departure. When he returned 
to Malmaison, the emperor snatched the answer of 
the committee out of his hand, and, after reading 
it, exclaimed, "I was sure of it; these people have 
no energy. Well, general, since it is so, let us be 
gone." He then despatched M. de Flahaut to Par- 
is, to concert measures for his departure. The 
prince of Echmuhl was at the Tuilleries when M. 
de Flahaut arrived. " This Bonaparte of yours," said 
he, in a tone of anger and contempt, "will not de- 
part : but we must get rid of him. Tell him from 
me, that he must go, and that if he do not depart 
immediately, I will arrest him myself." M. de 
Flahaut, fired with indignation, answered, "I could 
not have believed, M. Marshal, that a man, who 
was at the knees of Napoleon a week ago, could, 
to-day, hold such language. I have too much re- 
spect **or the person and misfortunes of the empa 



1815.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 20S 

ror, to report to him your words : — go yourself, M. 
Marshal." When De Flahaut returned, the empe- 
ror easilv divined that something had cut him tr 
the quick, and, being told, with some reluctance, alj 
that had passed he said, "Remain in the army, and, 
like me, forget the prince of Echmuhl^ and his das- 
tardly menaces." 

After Napoleon had spent several days in listen- 
ing to the various proposals of his friends, as to 
where he should go, he at length resolved to in- 
trust his fate "to fortune and to the winds." But 
the committee, advised by a despatch from the 
French plenipotentiaries, "that the escape of Na- 
poleon before "^he conclusion of the negotiations 
would be considered as an act of bad faith," in- 
formed him that he must wait anew the arrival of 
the safe conduct. Thus he was obliged to remain. 

M. Fleury then went to Paris, and learned that 
the Prussians designed to carry off the emperor ; 
that Blucher had said, "If I can catch Bonaparte, 
I will hang him up at the head of my army ;" and that 
Wellington had strenuously opposed this cowardly 
design. The emperor, after this, took some meas- 
ures to secure himself against a surprise ; but 
they were needless ; the friends that were about 
hi^ person would have shed their last drop of blood 
in his defence. 

At half after three in the morning, he was in- 
formed that Lord Wellington had refused the safe 
conducts, and he was consequently obliged to de- 
part immediately. When all was ready, he pressed 
the princess Hortensia to his bosom, and tenderly 
embraced his friends, melting into tears ; but hia 
demeanour was firm, his voice calm, and his couo 
tenance serene. 
18* 



210 MEMOIRS OF [1815. 

On the 29th of June, at five in \he afternoon, he 
threw himself into a carriage prepared for his suite, 
and naade General Gorgaud and his orderly officers 
take that intended for himself. His eyes were 
several times turned to that last abode, so long the 
witness of his happiness and power. 

When they left Malmaison, Las Cases and part 
of the emperor's suite took the road to Rochefort by 
Tours. On the 1st of July, they passed through 
Limoges ; and, on the 2d, dined at Rochefaucault 
and reached Jarnac about seven, at which place 
they were detained all night and part of the next 
day, by the ill will and misconduct of the post- 
master, so that they were obliged to proceed full 
speed to Cognac. On i caching Saintes, towards 
eleven o'clock, they were dreadfully annoyed by 
some furious miscreants collected by an officer of 
the royal guard, whom Napoleon's return from Elba 
had displaced. This person had prepared an am- 
buscade, and, it was understood, would have assassi- 
nated Napoleon or his attendants, had they not been 
rescued by a part of the national guard, who con- 
ducted them as prisoners to an inn. Here some of 
the most distinguished inhabitants, and, above all, 
the women, were the most outrageous in calling 
out for vengeance. In the evening the face of 
affairs had changed almost to the opposite extreme. 
Prince Joseph, arriving at Saintes, increased the ag- 
itation : he was arrested, and conducted to the pre- 
fecture, but otherwise very respectfully treated. 

On the 3d, in the evening, the emperor reached 
Rochefort, where he no longer wore a military 
dress : he lived at the prefect's house, about which 
numbers of people were constantly assembled 
te appeared two or three times at the balcony 



IS16.] 



Ni^POLEON BONAPARTE. 



211 



numerous proposals were made to him by gen. 
erals who came in person, and others who sent 
emissaries. On the 8th, in the evening, the empe- 
ror proceeded to Fourras, followed by the acclama- 
tions of the people wherever he appeared. 

On the 30th of June, the chambers were inform- 
ed that the enemy was within sight of the capital ; 
and a suspension of arms, requested from Lord 
Wellington, was refused, under the pretext that 
Napoleon Bonaparte was in Paris, and at liberty. 
After Lord Wellington had been informed of the 
departure of Bonaparte, he excused the granting 
of an armistice till he had conferred with Prince 
Blucher. 

On the 2d of July, a council having been called 
to decide peremptorily upon the defence or surren- 
der of Paris, it was agreed, unanimously, to deliver 
it into the hands of the allies, since the allies 
would not suspend hostilities upon any other condi- 
tion. The French army, as agreed upon, began 
its march beyond the banks of the Loire. When 
the French plenipotentiaries received their dis- 
missal from the head-quarters of the allies at Ha- 
genau, the note that conveyed it to thom contained 
the following passage: "The three povvors consid- 
er it as an essential condition of peace and real 
tranquillity, that Napoleon Bonaparte shall be inca- 
pable of disturbing the repose of Frarce and of 
Europe for the future ; and, in consequence of the 
events that occurred in the month of March last. 
Vie powers must insist that JVapoleon Bonaparte, he 
placed in their custodyy 

On the 7th of July, at five in the afternoon, 
several Prussian battalions surrounded the palace 
where the go^'ernment was sitting, and they were 



212 



MEMOIRS OF 



[Idlft 



compelled to separate. On the 8th, Louis XVill., 
in triumph, took possession of his capital and liia 
throne. On the same day, the emperor, who had 
been some time at Rochefort, went on board the 
frigate La Saale, prepared to receive him. His 
Buite was put on board the Medusa. On the 9th, 
the two vessels anchored at the Isle of Aix. Na- 
poleon, who could not leave off acting the emperor 
ordered the garrison under arms, and praised or 
blamed, as if he had still been sovereign master of 
the state. 

On the 10th, an English fleet t)f eleven vessels 
were cruising within sight of the port. On the 
11th, Napoleon sent to inquire of the English ad- 
miral, whether he was authorized to allow him lib- 
erty to repair to England, or to the United States ? 
The answer was, "that he was ready to receive 
Napoleon, and convey him to England." Unsatisfied 
with this answer, Napoleon had some idea of going 
on board an American vessel at the mouth of the 
Gironde, whose captain would have been happy 
and proud to have received him. He refused the 
proffered assistance of some young midshipmen, 
full of courage and devotion, who, with two barks, 
swore they would forfeit their lives if they did not 
convey him to New York. On the 14th of July, 
having given up the idea of attempting the passage 
to America, he caused the English admiral to be 
informed, that, on the following day, he would come 
on board his vessel. On the 15th, in the morning 
he went off in t^e brig L'Epervier, and was receiv- 
ed on board the Bellerophon with the honours due 
to his rank. Yet,, when General Beker came along- 
side with him, he could not help saying, " Withdraw 
general: I would not have it believed that a French- 



1815.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 213 

man is come to deliver me into the hands of my 
enemies." On the 16th, the Bellerophon set sail 
for England. 

The emperor had prepared a letter to the phncc 
regent, which General Gorgaud was directed to 
carry to him immediately. It was as follows :— 

^'Rochefort, July 13, 1815. 

"ROYAL HIGHNESS, 

" Exposed to the factions that distract my coun- 
try, and to the enmity of the greatest powers of 
Europe, I have terminated my political career ; and 
I come, like Themistocles, to seat myself on the 
hearth of the British people. I put myself under 
the protection of its laws, which I claim of your 
royal highness, as the most powerful, the most con- 
stant, and the most generous of my enemies." 

General Gorgaud had orders to make known to 
the prince, that it was Napoleon's intention to re- 
tire into any of the counties of England, and live 
peaceably and unknown, under the name of Colonel 
Duroc. 

When he arrived at Plymouth, he was not per- 
mitted to land, but was soon informed that the 
allied powers had decided that he should be treated 
as a prisoner of war, and be confined at St. Helena. 
He protested in vain against this violation of his 
most sacred rights, his liberty, and his person, but 
finally submitted with calm and majestic resignation 

On the 24th of July, the Bellerophon arrived at 
Torbay, and, on the 26th, N-apoleon sailed to Plym- 
outh, preparatory to his embarkation on board the 
Northumberland, commanded by Admiral Cockburn, 



214 MEMOIRS OF [1815 

destined to sail to St. Helena, from which vessel 
he despatclied the following protest to Lord Keith, 
against his removal to that island : — 

" I SOLEMNLY protost, in the fa.;e of Heaven 
and of all men, against the violation of every sa- 
cred right towards me, since it is by force that my 
person and my liberty are disposed of. I voluntari- 
ly delivered myself up to the Bellerophon : I am 
therefore no prisoner, but the guest of England. 

"•Once embarked on board the Bellerophon, 1 
was under the safeguard of the English people 
If the government, when issuing orders to the 
commander of the vessel to receive me, with all my 
retinue, only sought to entrap me, it has bro- 
ken the ties of honoui, and disgraced the British 
flag. 

"If this order is to be put into effect, in vain 
will the English, henceforth, proclaim their integrity 
their laws, and their liberty to Europe : hospitality 
thus violated on board the Bellerophon must for 
ever compromise the good faith of England. 

"I appeal, therefore, to history, which will re- 
cord that an enemy, who, for twenty years, made 
war upon the British nation, came freely, in his 
misfortune, to demand an asylum under the safe- 
guard of their laws. What proof more striking 
could be given of his esteem and his confidence * 
But in what manner have the English replied ?— 
They tendered the hand of hospitality to that ene- 
my ; and, when he delivered himself up, they saC' 
"ificed him ! ! ! 

" On hoard the Bellerophon at Sea, 
4th of August, 1815. 

(Signed) Na.poleon.'* 



1S15 ] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 216 

Napoleon heard of the decision of the British 
council respecting him, through the modium of the 
newspapers, before it was officially announced to 
him; and at first his rage and mortification were 
extreme. The official communication was made to 
him by Sir Henry Bunbury on the 2d of August ; 
and at the same time he was informed, that four of 
his friends, (with their families,) to be chosen by 
himself, and twelve of his domestics, would be al- 
lowed to attend him into exile. In vain he protest- 
ed against these measures in the most emphatic 
manner. On Friday, the 4th of August, the Bel- 
lerophon sailed from Torbay, to meet the North- 
umberland off Berry-head ; and, on the Sunday 
following, Lord Keith and Sir George Cockburn 
proceeded on board the former ship, to settle with 
Napoleon the exact period of his intended removal. 
The ceremony, with which the fallen emperor had 
hitherto been treated, was now to be discontinued 5 
and the admiral, m approaching him, simply pulled 
off his hat, and said, "How do you do. General 
Bonaparte ?" Surprised at being thus saluted, 
Napoleon hesitated an mstant, and then replied to 
the inquiry in a slight and laconic manner. 

After a long expostulation agamst the perfidy 
and injustice practised against him, he concluded 
by a peremptory refusal to quit the ship. Lord 
Keith, in reply, observed, that he acted under the 
orders of his government, and that he hoped he 
should not be under the necessity of using coercive 
measures. — «No, no," replied Napoleon; "you 
command ; 1 must obey. You may take me ; but 
remember, I do not go with my own free will." He 
then presented to his lordship a formal protest in 

2E 



216 M£M0IR8 OF [1815 

•vriting, m the presence of several witnesses, and 
appointed the hour of ten next morning to be taken 
on board the Northumberland. About half-past 
eleven, on Monday morning, Lord Keith and his at- 
tendants came along-side the Bellerophon in the 
barge. As soon as the baggage was removed, the 
parting scene commenced; and the separation was 
truly affecting. All wept ; but Marshal Savary 
and a Polish colonel appeared most deeply affected. 
The Pole had accompanied Bonaparte through 
many of his campaigns, and had received seventeen 
wounds in his service. He clung to his knees, and 
requested Lord Keith'.' permission to attend his 
master, even in the most menial capacity ; but the 
orders of government were peremptory, and this 
brave officer's request could not possibly be com- 
plied with. 

Count Bertrand, his wife, and three children ; 
the Count and Countess Montholon, Count Las 
Cases, and General Gorgaud, with nine men and 
three won.an servants, remained with Bonaparte. 
Marshal Savary and General L'Allemand were left 
behind in the Bellerophon, to be sent to Malta ; 
and the remainder of his suite were put on board 
the Eurotas frigate. M. Maingault, the surgeon 
of Napoleon, was the only one of his attendants 
who refused to accompany him, and his place was 
most fortunately supplied by Mr. O'Meara, the sur- 
geon of the Bellerophon. During the transship- 
ment from the barge. Napoleon exhibited nc 
symptoms of despondency, but, on the contrary, 
appeared more cheerful than usual. He mounted 
the side of the vessel with the activity of a seaman, 
and, advancing to Sir George Cockburn, he said 



i815.j NAPOLEON BONAPARTE ^H 

"Admiral, I once more protest against the 'njustice 
of your country ;" and soon after joined in a kin(l 
of general conversation. 

Whilst on board the Northumberland, it was ob- 
served, he stamped thf', jsual impression on every 
one there, as elsewhere, of his being an extraordi- 
nary man. Nothing escaped his notice ; his eyes 
were in e^ery place, and on every object, from the 
greatest to the most minute. All the general 
regulations of the service, from the lord nigii 
admiral to the seamen — their duties, views, expec- 
tations, pay, rank, and comforts, were scanned with 
characteristic keenness and rapidity. The ma- 
chinery of the ship — blocks, masts, yards, ropes, 
rigging, and every thing else — underwent a similar 
scrutiny. He sent for the boatswain, who, in the 
French service, usually fits out the ship, to learn 
the minutest particulars. By his desire, the ma- 
rines passed in review on the quarter-deck. He 
examined their arms, dress, and evolutions, with at- 
tention, and expressed himself highly satisfied. 
The grog, tobacco, clothes, food, pay, prize-money, 
and routine of duty of the seamen, were equal- 
ly inquired into. When informed that the neces- 
saries were supplied by a purser or commissary, he 
jocularly remarked, they were sometimes sad rogues. 

The ill-fated Marie Louise remained devotedly 
attached to Napoleon. When he had surrendered 
h.'mself to England, she applied to learning the 
English language, with the apparent hope of pass- 
ing her days with him in this country. Disappointed 
in that expectation, after he had sailed from Plym- 
outh, she cherished his remembrance by frequent 
visits to a romantic valley in the neighbourhood 
oi" Vienna, c?,lled by the same name as the place 

VOL. II. 19 



'8 ifeKMoms OF [181/1 

f his deportation, St. Helena. In November, 1816^ 
ihe made a voyage, on board an English vessel, 
to Porto Ferrajo, in the isle of Elba. After having 
announced, that the only motive that induced her to 
forne lo the island was the desire to visit the house 
which had been occupied by her husband, Napoleon, 
she landed, with all her suite, and proceeded di- 
rectly to the place of her pilgrimage, which she 
visited with a sort of religious attention and devo- 
tion, observing every thing in the minutest detail, 
and particularly Napoleon's chamber. Arrived in 
tJie saloon, she perceived his portrait, and, stopping 
before it, she said, " P apoleon, I salute thee ; I 
have had, and shall preserve all my life, the great- 
est esteem for thee." The illustrious lady then 
passed into the billiard-room, and, some one having 
presented to her the cue with which he used to 
play, she signified her desire to have it, and to 
enclose it in a box as a precious memento. The 
next day, she returned, and dined at his habitation, 
where she passed th-e night. At her departure she 
appeared satisfied with all that she had seen, and 

ery contented with her voyage 



►il^.l NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. Sid 



CHAPTER XIIL 

ffapokuii an his Voyage to St. Helena — Arrival — Descriptions oj 
t)ie Emperor's Kesidtnce al tlie Briars, at Longwood, 8fC. — 
Treaiment of' Navoleori by Sir Hudson Lowe — Visit of Lord 
Amherst to Napoleon at St. Helena — Napoleon's great Kelianci 
on the Justice of the Prince Regent — Letters from Count Ber' 
tr^md to Las Cases, on tlie Conduct of Sir Hudson Lowe, ana 
tJie Treatment of the Emperor's Attendants — Note written by 
Napoleon in the Margin of Sir Thomas Read's Letter. 

The course of the Northumberland was shaped 
eo cross the Bay of Biscay, and double Cape Finis- 
terre. The wind was fair, though light, and, for a 
long time, nothing could be more dull or monotonous 
than the time passed by Napoleon and his attend- 
ants. The emperor breakfasted in his own cabin 
at any hour, but his suite took theirs at ten, in the 
French style-, while the English continued to break- 
fast in their own way at eight. 

The emperor sent for one of his suite every 
morning, to know what was going on ; as the dis- 
tance the ship had run, the state of the wind, and 
other particulars connected with the ship's progress. 
He read a great deal, dressed at four o'clock, and 
then came into the general cabin : here he played 
at chess with one of the party. About five, it was 
generally announced from the admiral that dinner 
was ready. Napoleon's two valets stood behind 
his chair. At first, the admiral was in the habit of 
oflfering to help the emperor, but the acknowledg- 
ment of Napoleon was expressed so coldly, that 
this practice was discontinued. The admiral still 
temained attentive afterwards, but only pointed out 



220 



MEMOIRS OP 



fi8"a 



to the servants what was preferable : they alone 
were employed in these matters. Napoleon was 
generally silent ; , and even when French was 
spoken, he seemed as if unacquainted wi*h it : if 
he spoke, it was to ask some tecimical or scientiiic 
question, and to address a few \vords to persons 
whom the admiral occasionally asked to dinner. 
Count I-as Cases was mostly employed to translate 
Napoleon's questions iiito English. 

The long dir.atr time of the English, occupied 
by the desserl, dmiking, and conversing, was so 
disagreeable to the emperor, that, after the first 
day, he rose immediately after coffee had been 
handed round, and went out on deck, followed by 
Marshal ^ertrand and '^ount Las Cases. This 
disconcerted the admiral, who took occasion to 
express his surprise to his officers ; but Madame 
Bertrand, whose maternal tongue was English, 
rather warmly replied, " Do not forget, admiral, 
that your guest is a man who has governed a large 
portion of the world ; and that kings once con- 
tended for the honour of being admitted to his ta- 
ble." — :" Very true," rejoined the admiral ; and 
this officer, whom Napoleon often praised for his 
humanity and good sense, did his utmost, ever after, 
to accommodate the emperor in his habits. He 
shortened the time of sitting at table, ordering 
coffee for Napoleon and his suite, even before the 
rest of the company had finished their dinner. Thn 
moment Napoleon had taken his coffee, he rose to 
leave the cabin ; upon which every one stood up 
till he had qu* tted the room, and then continued to 
take their wh^e for another hour. 

The emperor, after dinner, would remain walking 
upon deck with one or two attendants : this be 



1815.) NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 223 

same a regalar practice. — Whilst Las Cases was 
walking with the emperor, at the usual liour, one 
day, in the stern gallery, Napoleon drew from under 
his waistcoat, still conversing on a totally different 
subject, a kind of girdle, which he handed to Las 
Cases, saying, " Take care of that for me." With- 
out interrupting him, Las Cases placed it under his 
own waistcoat. The en peror told him soon after, 
that it contained a diamond necklace, worth twD 
hundi'ed thousand francs, which Queen Hortensia 
forced him to accept when he left Malmaisoa in 
1815. After they arrived at St. Helena, Las Cases 
frequently spoke to Napoleon of returning the 
necklace, but never received any reply. Having 
mentioned the subject again at Longwood, Napole- 
on dryly asked, " Does it annoy you .^" " No, sire," ' 
was the reply. " Keep it, then," said he. From 
wearing the girdle so long, Las Cases thought so 
little about it, that it was not till some days after 
he had been torn from Longwood, that it recurred 
to his memory. He could not bear the idea of de- 
priving the emperor of such a resource • still he 
was in the most rigorous confinement, surrounded 
by gaolers and sentinels. He knew not whom to 
trust. At last an Englishman, to whom he had 
often spoken, came to the prison on a particular 
errand, and Las Cases, being determined to run all 
risks, addressing this Englishman, said he thought 
he waa a man of principle, and added, " I aa> going to 
put it to the test, though in nothing injurious, or con* 
trary to your honour — merely a rich deposit to be re- 
stored to Napoleon. If you accept the charge, mj 
son will put :t into your pocket" He answered onlj 
by Slackening his pace, and the necklace was trans 
ferred to this man, almost in sight of military attend 
19* 



<!22 MEMOIRS OF [1815 

ants. Before Laa Cases quitted the island, he had 
the inexpressible satisfaction of knowing that the 
necklace had reached the hands of the emperor 
Hov/ generous such a trait on the part of an enemy 
and this under such circumstances I — On returning to 
the after cabin, the emperor would sit down to play 
vingt et un, but generally retired in half an hour. 

On passing the line, v/here seamen and others, 
if strangers, are christened, or otherwise ducked, 
the emperor was scrupulously respected during the 
whole of this saturnalian festivity, when regard is 
seldom paid to any one. In return for this con- 
sideration, the emperor ordered a huadred Napo- 
leons to be distributed to the grotesque Neptune 
and his crew. 

At length, about seventy days after the North- 
umberland's departure from England, the ship cast 
anchor at St. Helena, about noon on the 15th 
of October, 1815. The emperor, contrary to 
custom, dressed early, and went on deck to view 
the island. 

The 16th of October terminated the voyage to 
St. Helena. After dining on board the Northum- 
berland, the emperor, accompanied by the grand 
marshal, Bertrand, got into a boat to go ashore. 

The emperor, before he stepped mto the boat, sent 
for the captain of the ship, and took leave of him, 
desiring him, at the same time, to convey his thanks 
to the officers and crew. His words appeared 
to produce a great sensation on all by whom they 
were understood, or to whom they wer*? interpret- 
ed. The remainder of the emperor's suite landed 
about eight o'clock. They were accompanied bj 
eeveraj of the officers, and every one on board ap 
peared to be sincerely affected at their d?parturc 



1815.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 22) 

Thus, in the course of a few weeks, the eiiiperoi 
i/f the west, the dispenser of crowns and sceptres, 
found himself immured for life in a small volcanic 
island, measuring ten miles in length and seven in 
oreadth, at a distance of six thousand miles from 
the scenes of his immortal exploits in arms, and 
separated from the two great continents of Africa 
and America by unfathomable seas. 

Count Las Cases found the emperor in the ap- 
partment assigned to him. A few minutes after 
their arrival, he went up stairs to his chambei 
where his followers were called to attend him 
His situation here was no better than it had been 
on board the vessel. They found themselves lodged 
in a sort of inn, or hotel. 

At six in the morning, the day after, the empe- 
ror, the grand marshal, and the admiral, rode tc 
visit Longwood, the house chosen for Napoleon's 
residence. Napoleon was extremely unwilling to 
return to the place where he had passed the preced- 
ing night, as the sentinels who guarded his doors, 
and the crowds that curiosity had attracted beneath 
his windows, were very disagreeable. A small 
pavilion attached to the place, however, pleased 
him, and Admiral Cockburn thought he would be 
more agreeably situated there than in the town. 
The pavilion, or summer-house, which Napoleon 
'■lad chosen, was about thirty or forty paces from 
Mr. Balcombe's dwelling-house, called the Briars ; 
and here the family used to retire, in fine weather, 
to take tea and amuse themselves. In no situation 
of his pist life had the emperor been so wretchedly 
lodp'ed. Tie windows had neither curtains noj 
shultors, and there v/as scarcely a seat in the room 
Whilst the two valets-de-chambre were bustling 



224 MEMOIRS OF [1815 

about lo prepare Napoleon's led, he lock a fancy 
to walk out a little, but there was no levo. ground 
on any side of the pavilion. Las Cases's bed-roonij 
above his, was about seven feet s juare ; there was 
in it only a bed and a single chair. Young Las 
Cases had a mattress spread on the floor, and Na- 
pd eon's valets slept on the ground at his door, 
wrapped up in their cloaks. Such was the situa- 
tion of the emperor the first night he passed at the 
Briars. 

At first, Napoleon's dinner was sent him, ready 
cooked, from James Town, about a mile and a half 
distant; but afterwards Mr. Balcombe found means 
to get a kitchen fitted up for his use. 

Mr. Balcombe's family consisted of his wife, two 
daughters, one about twelve and the other fifteen 
years of age, and two boys of five or six. The 
young ladies spoke French fluently, and Napoleor. 
frequently dropped in to play a rubber of whist, or 
hold a little conversazione. On one occasion, he 
indulged them by participating in a game of blind- 
man's-buff, very much to the amusement of the 
young ladies. Nothing was left undone, by this 
worthy family, that could contribute to lessen the 
inconveniences of his situation. 

He occasionally received some visitors, who came 
to pay their respects to him on the lawn before the 
house ; and, in a few instances, some, who had re- 
ceived that permission, were presented to him when 
at Mr. Balcombe's in the evening. He frequently 
walked, for hours, in the shady paths and shrubberies 
of the Briars, where care was taken to prevent hia 
being intruded upon. During one of the walks, he 
stopped, and pointed out to an Englishman the fright- 
ful precipices which environed them, and said, '-Be 



1815.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 22d 

hold your country's generosity ! this is their libtralitj 
to tlie unfortunate man, who, blindly relyirc:; on wha 
he so faJs«ly imagined to be their national charac- 
ter, in en evii hour, unsuspectingly confided him 
self to them. I once thought that you were free 
I now see that your ministers laugh at your laws 
which are, like those of other nations, formed only 
to oppress the defenceless, and screen the powerful, 
whenever your government has any object in view." 
By Napoleon's subsequent removal to the house 
at Long wood, his situation was by no means improv- 
ed. His bed-room here was about fourteen feet 
by twelve, and ten or eleven feet in height. The 
walls were lined with brown nankeen, bordered 
and edged with common green bordering paper, 
and destitute of surbase. Two small windows, 
without pulleys, looked towards the camp of the 53d 
regiment, one of which was thrown up, and fastened 
by a piece of notched wood. There were window- 
curtains of white long-clolh, a small fire-place, a 
shabby grate, and fire-irons to match, with a paltry 
mantel-piece of wood, painted white, upon w]iich 
stood a small marble bust of his son. Above the 
mantel-piece hung the portrait of Marie Louise, 
and four or five of young Napoleon, one of which 
was embroidered by the hands of the mother. A 
little more to the right hung also a miniature pic- 
ture of the empress Josephine ; and to the left was 
suspended the alaim chamber-watch of Frederic 
the Great, obtained by Napoleon at Potsdam ; while 
on the right the consulai watch, engraved with the 
cipher B, hung, by a chain of the plaited hair of 
Marie Louise, from a pin stuck in the nankeen lining 
The floor was covered with a second-hand carpet 
Vf^hich had once decorated the dining-room of t 



226 



MEMOIRS OF 



flSiA 



lieutenant of the St. Helena artillery. In the right 
hand corner was placed the little, plain, iron camp 
bedstead, with green silk curtains, upon which its 
master had reposed on the fields of Marengo and 
Austerlitz. Between the windows there was a 
paltry second-hand chest of drawers ; and an old 
book-case, with green blinds, stood on the lefl of 
the door leading to the next apartment. Four or 
five cane-bottomed chairs, painted 'green, were 
standing here and there about the room. Before 
the back door, there was a screen covered with 
nankeen, and, between that and the fire-place, an 
old-fashioned sofa, covered with white long-cloth, 
upon which reclined Napoleon, clothed in his white 
morning-gown, white loose trowsers and stockings 
all in one ; a chequered red madras upon his head, 
and his shirt collar open, without a cravat. His 
air was melancholy and troubled. Before him 
stood a little round table with some books, at the 
foot of which lay in confusion, upon the carpet, a 
heap of those he had already perused ; and at the 
foot of the sofa, facing him, was suspended a por- 
trait of the empress Marie Louise, with her son in 
her arms. In front of the fire-place stood Laa 
Cases, with his arms folded over his breast, and 
some papers in one of his hands. Of all the for- 
mer magnificence of the once mighty emperor of 
France, nothing was present except a superb wash- 
hand stand, containing a silver basin, and a water 
jug of the same metal, in the left-hand corner. 

Napoleon's hours of rising were uncertain, much 
depending upon the quantum of rest he had enjoy- 
ed during the night. He was, in general, a bad 
sleeper, and frequently got up at three or loui 
»'clock ,* in which case he read or wrote till six oi 



1815.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 227 

geven ; at whicli time, when the weather was fine, 
he sometimes went out to ride, attended by some 
of his generals, or laid down again to rest for a 
couple of hours. When he retired to bod, he 
could nos sleep unless the most perfect state of 
darkness was obtained, by the closure of every 
cranny, through which a ray of light might pass ; 
although he was sometimes seen to fall asleep on 
the sofa, and remain so for a few minutes in broad 
day-light. When ill, Marchand occasionally read 
to him until he fell asleep. At times he rose at 
seven, and wrote or dictated until breakfast-time ; 
or, if the morning was very fine, he went out to 
ride. When he took breakfast in his own room, it 
was generally served on a little round table, at 
betv/een nine and ten ; when along with the rest 
of his suite, at eleven: in either case, a la fourchette. 
After breakfast, he generally dictated to some of 
his suite for a few hours, and at two or three 
o'clock, received such visitors as, by previous ap 
pointment, had been directed to present themselves. 
Between four and five, when the weather permitted, 
he rode out on horseback, or in the carriage, ac- 
companied by all his suite, for an nour or two ; then 
returned, and dictated or read until eight, or occa- 
sionally played a game at chess ; at which time din- 
ner was announced, which rarely exceeded twenty 
lainutes, or half an hour, in duration. He ate heart- 
ily and fast, and did not appear to be partial to 
high-seasoned or rich food. One of his most /a- 
vourite dishes was a roasted leg of mutton, of 
<vhich he sometimes pared the outside brown part 
off; he was also partial to mutton chops. He 
rarely drank as much as a pint of claret at hia 
iin.ier which was generally much diluted with 



228 



MEMOIRS OF 



ri8i& 



water. After dinner, when the servants had with 
drawn, and when there were no visitors, he some^ 
times played at chess, or at whist ; but more irC' 
quently sent for a volume of Corneille, or of some 
other esteemed author, and read aloud for an hour, 
or chatted with the ladies and the rest of his saite. 
He usually retired to his bed-room at ten or eleven, 
and to rest immediately afterwards. When he 
breakfasted or dined in private, in his own apart- 
ment, he sometimes sent for one of his suite, to 
converse with him during the repast. He never 
ate more than two meals a day, nor ever took more 
than a very small cup of coffee after each repast, 
and at no other time. 

"While dressing, he is attended by Marchand, 
St. Denis, and Novarre. One of them holds a 
looking-glass before him, and the other the neces- 
sary implements for shaving, while Marchand is in 
waiting to hand his clothes, eau de Cologne^ &c. 
When he has gone over one side of his fact, with 
a razor, he asks St. Denis or Novarre, ' Is it done ?' 
and, after receiving an answer, commences on the 
other. After he has finished, the glass is held be- 
fore him to the light, and he examines whether he 
has removed every portion of his beard. If he 
perceives or feels that any remains, he sometimes 
lays hold of one of his attendants by the ear, or 
gives him a gentle slap on the cheek, in a good-hu 
nioured manner, crying, 'Ah, coquin, why did you 
tell me it was done .^' This, probably, has given 
rise to the report of his having been in the habit 
of beating and otherwise ill-treating his domestics. 
He then washes with water, in which some eau de 
Cologne has been mingled, a little of which he alsa 
Borinkles over his person, very carefully picks and 



1816.J NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 229 

cleans his teeth, frequently has himself rubbed with 
a flesh -brush, changes his linen and flannel waist 
coat, and dresses in white kerseymere or brown 
nankeen breeches, white waistcoat, silk stockings, 
shoes, and gold buckles, and a green single-breasted 
coat, with white buttons, black stock, with none of 
tlie white shirt collar appearing above it, and t» 
three-cornered small cocked hat, with a little tri 
coloured cockade. When dressed, he always 
wears the cordon and grand cross of the legion of 
honour. When he has put on his coat, a little bon 
bonnUre, his snuff"-box, and handkerchief scented 
with eau de Cologne, are handed to him by Mar- 
chand, and he leaves the chamber." 

In 1817, the numerous loose and contradictory 
reports, that had been circulated about the ill-treat- 
ment Napoleon Bonaparte received, were confirm- 
ed, in a manner beyond doubt or contradiction, by 
a kind of officiai communication brought to England 
by M. Santini, one of Napoleon's suite. 

M. Santini affirmed, that, in the course of the 
year 1816, the emperor was compelled to sell all 
his plate to procure the first necessaries of life. 
M. Santini broke it in pieces before it was sent to 
the market. The produce was deposited, by or- 
der of the D-overnor, in the hands of Mr. Balcombe, 
When the house-steward, wishing to supply the de- 
ficiency of the provisions furnished by the gov 
ernor, made purchases himself, (which happened 
every day,) he could only pay them by orders upon 
Mr. Balcombe. When M. Santini did not succeed 
in shooting a few pigeons in the neighbourhood of 
their dwelling, the emperor frequently had nothing 
for breakfast. Provisions did not reach Longwood 
Until two or three o'clock in the afternoon 
VOL. II. 20 



t30 MEMOIRS OP [1816 

There was no water fit for cooking at Longwood 
Very good water might, however, have been pio- 
cured at a distance of 1200 yards, and conveyed 
to the emperor's barracks at an expense of frcm 
12 to 1500 francs. The house was only supplied 
by the water brought from this fountain : it waa 
open only once during the day ; at all other times 
it was locked. It was guarded by an English of- 
ficer, who was scarcely ever present when water 
JVQ-S wanted. There was a conduit for conveying 
water to the English camp ; but it was thought un- 
necessary to do as much for the unfortunate Napo- 
leon. — M. Santini was also the bearer of a letter, 
or memorial, written to Sir Hudson Lowe by Count 
Montholon, in the name of Napoleon, in which, 
besides protesting against the right of England to 
detain him a prisoner at St. Helena, he confirms 
the reports of his ill treatment there, and states 
other particulars before unknown. 

Though the delicacy of Count Las Cases pre- 
vented him from mentioning to Sir Hudson Lowe 
the illegal misapplication of the wearing apparel 
and other necessaries, conveyed from England to 
St. Helena for the express use of Napoleon, it has 
been solemnly asserted, that various articles of 
furniture, and other necessaries, sent out from that 
country, at the public expense, for the residents at 
Longwood, not even excepting the shirts made for 
the personal wear of Napoleon, were appropriated 
to the use of persons for whom they were never 
intended. 

Immediately after Sir Hudson Lowe's arrival in 
the island, the scanty supply of fresh butter wag 
discontinued, which, till then, had been sent t3 
Longwood ; the milk from which it was produced 



/8i7.J NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 2d\ 

being thenceforward taken to Plantotion House 
The flour was so bad, that Napoleon did not taste 
bread for three months. He betook hhnself to a 
sedentary life ; his legs began to swell, and the 
scurvy attacked his gums. Pie declared that ar 
intention existed to terminate his life by agonies sc 
protracte 1, as to make it appear that he died a 
natural death. 

The Csesar, which brought Lord Amherst c\er 
from China in 1817, having occasion to touch at 
St. Helena, his lordship expressed his desire to be 
introduced to Napoleon, and, in spite of some ob- 
stacles, he was allowed to wait upon him, accom- 
panied by Mr Lynn, surgeon of the Alceste. On 
the 3d of July, Lord Amherst was ushered into 
Bonaparte's presence at Longwood, whilst Captain 
Maxwell and the surgeon waited in an ante-cham- 
ber. It was not long before these officers were 
desired to join. In his conversation with the party, 
nis questions were put with his usual rapidity ; in- 
deed, they followed each other in such quick suc- 
cession, that answers could only be given to those 
which appeared most marked and important. With 
his general curiosity, Bonaparte inquired of the 
officers what stations they filled on board the ship ; 
and, on learning Mr. Lynn was the surgecn, he 
asked what system of physic he pursued. "That 
depends upon circumstances," replied the surgeon. 
"1 hope," rejoined Bonaparte, "it is any other than 
tliat practise d on this island ; for here we have Jhe 
game thing over and over again — bleeding and 
calomel for Gvei." 

The conversation taking a turn on the mission oi 
Lord Amherst to China, his lordship related the cause 
>f its failure, which he ascribed to the necessit5^ ina 
• 2F 



232 MEMOIRS OF 

posed upon him by the emperor, of suiting tho 
ground nine times with his forehead ; an indignity 
which his lordship intimated could not be submitte(^ 
to. Here Bonaparte's answer showed the man — 
"Indeed' Now, had it suited my policy to sejtid 
an embassador to the emperor of China, I should 
have instructed him to kiss his great toe ; and, if 
that would not do, he might, if required, have sa- 
luted a more offensive part, provided my object 
could be attained." — In the course of conversation, 
Bonaparte said he knew of no law which gave the 
powers of Europe the right of dtcaihing him a 
prisoner at St. Helena or elsewhere ; and strongly 
urged the propriety of his present situation being 
taken into consideration by the crowned heads of 
Europe. Notwithstanding his disappointments, he 
still affected great reliance on the justice of the 
prince regent of England, when unconnected with 
national policy, and the influence of ministers ; and, 
with this impression on his mind, he expressed an 
anxious wish that Lord Amherst would be the 
bearer of a letter from him to his royal highness, 
which had been prepared some time, with the in- 
tention of forwarding it to England. 

The treatment which Napoleon exp^i-ienced ir 
tne years 1817 and 1818 is detailed, with much 
simplicity, in the letters written by Count Bertrand 
to Count Las Cases. 

"Things," said M. Bertrand, "are materially al- 
tered since your departure. Iti the year 1817, and 
this of 1818, the vexations practised against tht 
emperor are increased to that degree, that the} 
can only be considered as an attempt upon his life 
You shall judge of this by the detail. You cannon 
but have read, in the newspapers of the month o- 



818.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 23^ 

March, certfin observations of Lord Bathurst's ; bat, 
since then, things have got much worse, and the 
hatred of the governor has no longer had any 
limits. 

" When you left us, the emperor gave up riding 
on horseback, to avoid the snares and tl e insults 
prepared for him, by exposing him to the inso- 
lence of the sentinels ; to avoid similar inconve- 
niences, he has been since obliged to debar himself 
even from the exercise of walking. During the 
months of March and April, the emperor occasion- 
ally went out to call on my wife, and sometimes, 
too, he used to seat himself fifty paces from the 
house, upon the bench near it, where he would re- 
main half an hour or an hour : they devised means 
to prevent this, and to oblige him to confine him- 
self closely to his room. They were aware that 
was no difficult task. They appointed a soldier of 
the 66th for the gardener, and they stationed at my 
house a sergeant, or overseer of the workmen, both 
very useful at the house, either to remove any nox- 
ious weeds which might infect the air, (for it is an 
impossibility to have a garden on such a spot as 
this,) or to repair the house, which is in ruins, and 
admits* the water upon every shower. All this ap- 
peared very reasonable ; but the governor invested 
tliese two soldiers with the power of stopping 
whomsoever they pleased, at the very doors and 
under the windows of the emperor. From that 
moment he has never been out, and it is now up- 
wards of thrae months since he has put his head out 
of the windows. 

"The -climate, an entire deprivation of exercise 
and this miserable habitation, have impaired his 
4ealt]i so much, that you would not hnow hiro 
20* 



234 MEMOIRS OF [1818. 

again. Ever since the end of 1817, he has felt 
the firyt symptoms of the chronic hjpatitis, which^ 
you are aware, is mortal in this country. The 
good O'Meara attended him, in whom, you know 
he had confidence- Sir Hudson Lowe, in the 
month of April, when this doctor was most neces- 
sary to him, reduced him to the necessity of giving 
in his resignation, and wanted to foist Mr. Baxter 
upon the emperor, who, refusing to see any other 
medical attendant, was without a doctor from the 
10th of April to the 10th of May. At last, the Rus- 
sian and Austrian commissioners here, being in- 
dignant at this treatment, gave the governor to 
understand, that, if the emperor should die in that 
situation, they themselves would be at a loss what 
to say, if the opinion should prevail in Europe that 
he had been assassinated. It appears this decided 
the governor to reinstate Dr. O'Meara ; but there 
was no species of ill-treatment they did not make 
him suffer. They wanted to get him driven from 
the table of the officers of the 66th, but these brave 
soldiers disdained to participate in so arbitrary an 
act. The emperor is now very ill : he rises at 
eleven in the morning, and retires again at two. 
Your are not aware of the situation we are in now ; 
it can in no instance be compared with our situa- 
tion in your time, and even then it was bad enough ; 
and you sufficiently know our master, to induce 
you to use your influence to prevent any of the 
emperor's family from coming out here. The 
spectacle of the humiliations, the vexations, the 
hatred he is a proy to, would be utterly insupport 
able, were his mother, or any of his brothers, tc 
come and share them. Even Count de Montholon 
8.nd myself, who are now the only persons witb 



1818.J NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 23^ 

liim, have been repeatedly pressed by him to go. 
and release ourselves from the like treatment, and 
•o leave him to himself. You remember the offi 
cers had not visited me for a long time ; but, when 
ever they met us on the road, they had the civility 
to stop and speak with my wife. They have now 
been forbidden to do that, not in writing, but by 
insinuation ; so that it has frequently happened that 
these officers, on perceiving us, have turned out of 
the way." 

The following note was written by Napoleon in 
the margin of a letter from Sir Thomas Read to 
Count Bertrand, dated 25th April, 1818: — 

"1. I gave you to understand yesterday, when 
you presented this letter to me, that I would not 
condescend to notice it; and that you need not 
translate it to me, since it is not in the form which 
has been observed for three years. 

" 2. This fresh outrage only dishonours this cox- 
comb. The king of England alone is entitled to 
treat with me upon an equality. 

" 3. This crafty proceeding has one object — to 
prevent your exposing the criminal plot they have 
been contriving against my life for these two years 
past. 

" 4. Thus it is, that, affecting to open the doors 
to claims and complaints, they shut them the closer. 

" 5. Thus it is, that affecting a willingness to 
provide me a lodging, and build a house for me, I 
have been kept for three years in this unhealthy 
parn, and no building has yet been commenced. 

" 6. Thus it is, that, affecting to allow me the 
fiberty of riding on horseback, they prevent me 
from so doing, and from taking exercise, by indi- 
rect M'sana . nence the primary cause of my illnesa 



236 MEMOIRS OF [181a> 

" 7 . They employ the same means to debar me 
from receiving any visits. They have need of ob^ 
scurity. 

" 8. Thus it is, that, after having made attempts 
upon my physician, having forced him to give in 
his resignation, rather than remain a passive in- 
strument, void of all moral feeling, they neverthe- 
less keep him under arrest at Longwood, wishing 
it to be believed that I have his assistance, when 
they well know I cannot see him, that I have not 
seen him for a fortnight, and that I never shall see 
him, unless he be set at liberty, relieved from his 
oppressive situation, and restored to his moral inde- 
pendence in what concerns the exercise of his 
functions. 

" 9. Thus it is they are guilty of a characteris- 
tic falsehood, in causing bulletins to be issued by a 
physician who has never seen me, and who is igno 
rant both of my constitution and my disorder ; but 
that is well calculated to deceive the prince and 
people of England and Europe. 

" 10. They indulge in a ferocious smile at the 
fresh sufferings this deprivation of the assistance 
of art adds to this tedious agony. 

"11. Desire this note to be sent to Lord Liver- 
pool, and also your letter of yesterday, with those 
of the 13th and 24th of April, that the prince re- 
gent may know who my is, and be able 

t: publicly punish him. 

" 12. If he does not, I bequeath the opprobriun 
jf my death to the reigning house of England. 
(Signed) 

"NaP0L20N. 

* Longwood 21th April, 1818." 



1821.1 NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 237 



CHAPTER XIV. 

VHsmissal of Courtt Las Cases from Longwood— Letter o i'rint.i 
Liicien Bonaparte intercepted by Sir Hudson Loive — Napcl-ecrii 
Apprehensions for tlve Fate of his Manuscripts — his Rejiectioru 
upon the Governor — Decline of Napoleon's Health — Etiquette 
obserx^ed by his Attendants — Remarks on his bodily Constitu- 
tion — his Mode of preserving Hejilth — Testimony of Dr. Ar 
nott — Progress of his Disease — his Death — his Interment — Re 
marks upoii his Character. 

One of the most mortifying inconveniences, in- 
flicted upon Napoleon by Sir Hudson Lowe, appear? 
to have been the removal of Count Las Cases from 
the emperor's service at the latter end of the year 
1816. Ever since the count had attended him at 
Longwood, he kept, as a servant, a free mulatto 
After some months had elapsed. Sir Hudson Lowe 
expressed his doubts as to the propriety of the 
count's being attended by a native of the island, 
and signified his intention of removing this servant, 
and sending one of his own choosing : the latter 
proposal was promptly and decidedly rejected ; but 
the man was withdrawn. 

Some months after this, the mulatto, who still 
remained in the island, found an opportunity of vis- 
iting his old master's residence : being favoured by 
the darkness of the night, and his knowledge of 
the localitiesof the island, he had surmounted ever^ 
obstacle, avoided sentinels, and scaled precipices, 
to come and see the count, in order to tell him that 
he had got a situation with a person who was going 
to set off for London in a few days, and to offei 
aim his services without reserve. Not seeing the 
'^ount the first time he came, he returned the nex^ 



238 MEMOIRS OF [1821 

evening, and renewed the unreserved offer of his 
services, saying ho would take charge of any thing 
that might be intrusted to him, and would call for i\ 
on the eve of his sailing. Accordingly, a letter was 
written upon a piece of satin, to Prince Lucien Bo- 
naparte, which the young mulatto, having some 
knowledge of the business of a tailor, sewed into 
his clothes, and took his leave. Las Cases went to 
bed with a light heart, and a feeling of satisfaction 
from the contemplation of a day well employed, 
and marked by a fortunate event, little thinking 
that he had just cut, with his own hands, the thread 
of his destiny at Longwood, from which, in less 
than twenty-four hours, he was snatched away, 
never to return. The bearer of the letter, it is 
supposed, confided the affair to his mother, who 
could not conceal it from her husband, by which 
publicity it came to the ears of Sir Hudson Lowe, 
who issued his orders accordingly. 

Napoleon was frequently under great apprehen- 
sions for the fate of his manuscripts : this was oc- 
casioned by the treatment which Las Cases had 
suffered from Sir Hudson Lowe, and the detention 
of his own papers. He said " it was contrary to all 
law, to detain papers belonging to him (Napoleon). 
Perhaps," said he, " he will come up here some day, 
and say that he has received intimation that a ploi 
IS in agitation to effect my escape. What guaran- 
tee have I, that, when I have nearly finished my 
liistory, he will not seize the whole of it? It is 
true that I can keep my manuscripts in my own 
room, and, with a couple of brace of pistols, I can 
despatch the first who enters. I must burn the 
whole of v/hat I have written. It served as ap 
anuisement to me in this dismal abode, and migj)t 



1821.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTIS. 23S 

perhaps, have been interesting to the world but 
with this Sbirro-Siciliano there is no guarantee nor 
security. He violates every law, and tramples de- 
cenc/, politeness, and the common forms of society, 
under foot. He came up (here to Longwood) with 
a savage joy beaming from his eyes, because ht 
had an opportunity of insulting and tormenting us. 
While surrounding the house with his staff, he re- 
minded me of the savages of the South Sea islands 
dancing round the prisoners whom they were about 
to devour." 

While looking over a number of papers, (chiefly 
Portsmouth,) " Ah !" said Napoleon, " some of my 
money has gone to pay for these estates. After 
the abdication at Fontainebleau, upwards of forty 
millions of francs, my private property, was seized, 
and taken from my treasurer at Orleans. Of this 
money, about five and twenty millions were divided 
amongst T***, M^, and C^. The money thus 
seized included the marriage-portion of the empress 
Marie Louise, which had been paid in sovereigns 
of gold — an old German coin. The remainder 
was placed in the French treasury. The whole of 
these sums had been guaranteed to me by the treaty 
of Fontainebleau. The share which C** obtained 
was very large, and the exact amount of it is known 
to me." 

The health of Napoleon, during the six months 
preceding his establishment at Longwood, did not 
seem to undirgo any change, notwithstanding his 
regimen was so completely altered. Neither his 
hours nor his food were any longer the same ; his 
former habits, in fact, were totally deranged. For- 
merly he had been used to much exercise ; but 
now, he hai been lon^ confined to a room. Ha 



£(0 



MEMOIRS OF 



[1821 



had been continually m the habit of bathing ; bu 
for this indulgence he had no opportunity till aftei 
his arrival at Longwood. Here, when he began tc 
ride on horseback, und returned to the use of th*5 
bath, his attendants first began to perceive a sensi- 
ble alteration in his health. 

In the autumn of 1817, he had a smart attack 
of fever, &c., and was several days obliged to retire 
occasionally to his bed. Whilst he w^as well, the 
etiquette observed by his attendants prevented any 
of them from entering his apartment without being 
sent for ; and if any thing of importance was to be 
communicated to him, he was previously made 
acquainted with it. If ne walked separately with 
any of them, no other presumed to intrude. At 
first, his attendants constantly remained uncovered 
near his person, which appeared strange to the 
English, who had been ordered to put on their hats 
after the first salute. The contrast between them 
seemed ridiculous to Napoleon, and he ordered his 
servants, once for all, to behave like the English. 
No one, except the two ladies, took a seat in his 
piesence. He vias never spoken to but at his own 
peculiar instanc(,, and when the conversation be- 
came general, which was always and in all cases 
under his own control and guidance. It is scarce- 
ly needful to add, that the long period of his de- 
clining health nearly put an end to the ceremoniale 
previously observed. 

Upon the score of the emperor's general health, 
M. Las Cases observes—" Contrary to the common 
opinion, in which I myself once participated, the 
emperor is far from possessing a strong constitution 
His limbs are large, but his fibres are relaxed 
vith a very expanded chest, he is constantly labo'r 



l821.J NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 2H 

ing under the effects of cold. His body is subject 
to the influence of the slightest accidents. The 
smell of paint is sufficient to make lim ill ; certain 
dishes, or the slightest degree of dimp, immediately 
take a very severe effect upon him. His body is 
far from being a bodv of iron, as has been sup- 
posed ; all his strength is in his mind ; although 
no sovereign ever underwent so much bodily fa- 
tigue. 

"The most remarkable instance of the emperor's 
activity and exertion, was his ride, without stirrups, 
from Valladolid to Burgos, at the rate of more than 
seven Spanish leagues an hour, in five hours and a 
half. He had set out accompanied by a numerous 
escort, in case of danger from the guerillas ; but 
at every yard he left some of his attendants behind 
him, and arrived at Burgos with but few followers. 
His ride from Vienna to the Simmering, a distance 
of eighteen or twenty leagues, is frequently talked 
of The emperor rode to breakfast to the Simmer- 
ing, and returned to Vienna immediately after. He 
often hunted to the distance of thirty-eight leagues, 
and never less than fifteen. One day a Russian 
officer, who had come as a courier from St. Peters- 
burgh in the space of twelve or thirteen days, ar- 
rived at Fontainebleau at the moment the emperor 
was about to set out on a hunt. The officer had 
the honour to be invited to join the hunting party. 
He, of course, accepted the invitation; but he 
dropped down in the forest, overcome by fatigue, 
and was not found until after a considerable search 
had been made for him. 

"I have known the emperor," continues Las 
Cases, " to be engaged in business in the council 
of state for eight or nino hours successively, and 
YOL. II. 21 



142 



MEMOIRS OF 



[1821 



afterwards rise with his ideas as clear as when he 
aat down. I have seen him, at St. Helena, peruse 
books for ten or twelve hours in succession, on the 
most abstruse subjects, without appearing the least 
fatigued. He has suffered, unmoved, the greatest 
shocks that ever man experienced. On his return 
from Moscow or Leipsig, after he had communica- 
ted the disastrous event in the council of state, he 
said, ' It has been reported in Paris, that this mis- 
fortune turned my hair gray ; but you see it is not 
so, (pointing to his head,) and I hope I shall be 
able to support many other reverses.' But these 
prodigious exertions were made only, as it were, 
in despite of his physical powers, which never ap- 
pear less susceptible than when his mind is in full 
activity. 

" The emperor eats very irregularly, but gene- 
rally very little. He often says, that a man may 
hurt himself by eating too much, but never by 
eating too little. He will remain four-and-twenty 
hours without eating, only to get an appetite for 
the ensuing day. But, if he eats little, he drinkr 
still less. A single glass of Madeira or Champagne 
is sufficient to restore his strength, and to produce 
cheerfulness of spirits. He sleeps very little, and 
very irregularly, generally risiDg at day-break to 
read or write, and afterwards lying down to sleep 
again. The emperor has no faith in medicine, and 
never takes any. He had adopted a peculiar mode 
of treatment for himself. Whenever he found him 
self mwell, his plan was to run into an extreme, 
the opposite of what happened to be his habit at 
the time. This he calls restoring the equilibrium 
of nature. For instance, if he had been inactive 
^or a h^ngtii of time, he would suddenly ride about 



iS^l.j NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 243 

rixty miles, or hunt the whole day. P, on the con 
trary, he had been harassed by great fatigues, he 
would resign himself to absolute rest for twenty- 
four hours. These unexpected shocks, he thought, 
infallibly brought about an internal crisis, instanth 
proiucmg the desired effect, and which as a remedj 
never failed." 

He continues to remark, that "the emperor's 
lymphatic system was deranged, and that his blood 
circulated with difficulty. Nature," he says, "had 
endowed him with two important advantages ; the 
one was the power of sleeping whenever he needed 
repose, at any hour or at any place ; another was, 
that he was constitutionally incapable of committing 
any injurious excess, either in eating or in drink 
ing." It ne went the least beyond his mark, his 
stomach instantly revolted. Very slight causes 
would exciie a nausea in him ; and a mere tickling 
cough was sufficient to produce that disagreeable 
effect. 

It appears from the testimony of Surgeon Arnott, 
of the 20th regiment, that no other English medical 
person saw liim in his death-bed sickness, in April 
and May, 1821 ; for, although every medical aid 
the island of St. Helena afforded was offered by Sir 
Hudson Lowe, and recommended by Dr. Arnott 
when he observed the disease to put on alarming 
symptoms, Napoleon uniformly refused it, and even 
required from his attendants a promise that, in the 
event of his ever becoming insensible, no othti 
medical person than Professor Automarchi and Mr 
Arnott should see him. 

Before the latter visited Napoleon, he was con 
suited upon his case, on .he 25th of March, 1821 
>»V Professor Antomarchi, who stated, that his illus 



i 



244 4IEM0IR8 IF [1821 

frious patient iiad long been labouring under some 
great derangement of func ion in the digesnva 
organs, characterized by nausea and vomiting, espe 
cially after taking food, very obstinate costiveness, 
and great wasting of flesh and strength. On the 
17th of that month, he had a febrile attack ; and, 
though an emetic had been administered with 
cathartics and antimonials in small doses, the symp- 
toms, on the 25th, were still urgent, viz. increased 
heat, great prostration of strength, pain in the epi- 
gastric region, most distressing vomiting, and con- 
stipated bowels. 

On the evening of the 1st of April, at half-past 
ten o'clock. Professor Antomarchi called on Dr. 
Arnott, saying he had just come from the emperor, 
who wished to see him directly. He accordingly 
accompanied M. Antomarchi, and was led by him 
through a labyrinth of passages and rooms dimly 
lighted. When they reached Napoleon's bed-room, 
there was no light whatever in it ; it was perfectly 
dark. Count Menthol on, whose voice was known, 
met Dr. Arnott at the door, and led him up to 
Napoleon's bed-side, and introduced him. He in- 
quired into the emperor's complaints, but could not 
see him, as he would not permit a light to bf 
brought. His pulse being felt by Dr. Arnott, h« 
found it tranquil, heat moderate, and the moisturr 
on the skin rather more than natural. He com 
plained much of his belly, which was examined ; 
but it was without tension or hardness : the bowels 
were slow, aid the appetite bad. His voice was 
strong, and he had some cough. Several severe 
fits of vomiting followed, notwithstanding some 
purgative medicines had occasionally given hin< 
«ni ch relief. What he vom'^ed on tlie night oi' 



1821.] NAPOLEOJ^ BONAPARTE. 348 

.he 11th of April was a black, nmcous matter 
After this he became quite exhausted, and signjfietl 
to Dr. Arnott that medical aid could be of no a\ai 
to him, and that he was labouring under a fatal d i» 
ease. At the doctor's request, he took a little jel 
ly and warm wine, which rested on his stomach 
Napoleon asked the doctor, on the same day, how 
a person died of debility, and how long one could 
^ve, eating as little as he did. 

In fact, he continued alternately better and worst- 
till the hickuping attacked him at the latter end of 
April ; after this there was an aggravation of all the 
symptoms. At length, on the 4th of May, there 
was a total loss of muscular motion ; the under jaw 
had dropped, the eyes were fixed, and the pulse 
varied from 102 to 110 in the minute, was small 
and weak, and was easily compressed. 

That nothing should be left undone, although 
the patient was moribundus, (dying,) sinapisms 
were applied to the feet, blisters to the legs, and 
one to the sternum, but none of them took effect ; 
and all the symptoms increased till eleven minutes 
before six o'clock, in the evening of the 21st of 
May, 1821, when he expired, in the fifty-second 
year of his age. His dissolution was so calm and 
serene, that not a sigh escaped him, nor any intima- 
tion to his attendants that it was so near. 

The last words he is known to have uttered 
were " tete armee.^^ What their connexion in hig 
mind was, could not be ascertained ; but they were 
distinctly heard about five o'clock in the mornmg 
of the day he d"'ed. His countenance after death 
was described as placid and serene, and as having 
n it something very commanding and nob!e. 

On opening the body, and exposing the stomaah. 
21 * 



2S46 MEMOIRS OF [132l 

that organ was found the seat of extensive disease 
Nearly the whole of its internal surface was a masd 
of cancerous disease, or schirrous portions advancing 
to cancer. The stomach was found nearly filled 
with a large quantity of fluid, resembling coffeo- 
Tfounds, or a black, grumous matter, mixed with 
some small specks of blood, which he had been in 
the habit of vomiting. The remainder of the ab- 
dominal viscera were in a healthy state. 

The proposed conveyance of the remains of Na- 
poleon to Europe Was overruled, but they were per- 
mitted to rest in a beautiful valley, under the pen- 
dent branches of several flourishing weeping wil- 
lows, near his favourite spring, and not far distant 
from the place of his residence. 

The funeral was attended with as much of "the 
pomp and circumstance of war," as the place 
where he died would admit of. His coffin was car- 
ried by grenadiers. Counts Montholon and Ber- 
trand were pall-bearers. Madame Bertrand follow- 
ed with her family. Next came Lady Lowe and 
her daughters in deep mourning ; then the junior 
officers of t^e navy, and the army staff". Lastly, Sir 
Hudson Lotve and the admiral closed the procession 
The 20th and 66th regiments, with arms reversed, 
with the artillery, volunteers and marines, amount- 
mg to about 3000, were stationed on the surround- 
ing hills, about half way up. The body having 
been lowered into the grave, three rounds of eleven 
guns were fired by the artillery. 

Thn, grave is ten feet long, ten deep, and five 
wide. The bottom is a solid rock ; the sides and 
ends are wailed in with Portland stone ; the top of 
ihe grave is elevated about eight inches above 
t'^e suiface of ^he ground, and covered over w'th 



1821.] KAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 24" 

three rough slate stones, taken from the kitchen 
floor of the new house, that had been constructed 
for his residence. The tomb was railed round 
with green railmg, and a sentinel walked round it 
day and night, to prevent the too near approach oi 
any person. There was no inscription upon the 
tomb. Persons, however, contrive to pluck the 
leaves of the willows that grow over it, some of 
which have been carried to England, and preserved 
as sacred relics. 

The cemetery of Napoleon, it has been observed, 
is singularly ada-pted to the character of the in- 
dividual there buried — a vast rock rising out of the 
ocean, alone, towering, unshaken, and magnificent : 
a perfect emblem of the genius of the man, such 
as he must appear in future history. 

Though some attempts at comparison have beer 
made, in order to illustrate the character of Na 
poleon, yet, upon mature and impartial reflection, 
we cannot find one in the records of history to 
whom we can liken him. The greatest resem- 
blances are to be found in the examples of Hannibal 
and Caesar. He was as prompt as Hannibal, as 
decided as Csesar, and, like the Roman warrior, he 
has written his own immortal commentaries ; and he 
was as lirave and more generous than either. He 
uouimenced his nulitary career as a lieutenant of 
engineers ; he reduced the chaos of the French 
revolution to order, assuaged the bloody fury of 
the parties in the interior of France, and fought 
her battles when she was assailed by a combination 
of kings. He conquered the enemies of his coun- 
try, and victory succeeded to victory, till he was 
dignified with the consulate, and left the greal 
Moreau only admiration and applause Under Na 
2G 



248 



MEMOIRS OF 



[1821 



poleoK, it cannot be denied, the arts flourislied, anc 
merit emerged from degradation and obscurity 
and he seemed to be one of those men intended hj 
fate to exalt the human character to the highest 
pitch of grandeur and sublimity. He united in 
himself all those qualities, which we reverence and 
admire even in an enemy. As a soldier and con- 
queror, he had no equal : Fortune, for a consider- 
able time, continued to shape events to his will ; 
and contradictions the most apparent yielded to his 
genius ; but at last, as if jealous of the way in 
which he used her favours, she made him feel her 
power, and hurled him, as it were, from a throne 
to a prison. 

It is not true, that he was devoid of social qualities, 
or insensible to pleasure ; his attendants, and the 
companions of his captivity, both English and 
French, were living witnesses of the contrary 
Numerous anecdotes, that cannot be questioned, 
exhibit him as capable of the finest and best feel- 
ings of human nature, and will remain the most 
lasting testimonies of his kindness and generosity, 
especially during the period of his dreadful exile in 
St. Helena. Never was a master so loved and 
adored, even by his followers and attendants, whose 
sufferings, on nis account, were nearly equal to his 
own. Never did any monarch attract so many 
friends, known and unknown, and who would have 
willingly shed their blood for his sake. 

But his greatness was obscured by his ambiticnj 
and his love of absolute power. He owned " he 
had been the spoiled child of fortune. From his first 
entrance into life, he had been accustomed to com- 
mand, and circumstances and the force of his ovvb 
«rharacter were such, that, as soon as he becain<i 



1821.] NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 249 

possessed of power, he acknowledged no master 
and obeyed no laws except those of his own crea- 
tion." 

The love, or rather the necessity of war, was sc 
deeply rooted in the breast of France, when Napo- 
.eon came into power, that his first and last at 
tempts were all directed to the perfection and com 
pletion of its art. The tactics that he followed 
were new to Europe, and singularly his own. 
Despatch, surprise, and promptitude, were their 
prominent features. Schools were every where 
formed to train his youth to travail and to labour ; 
to mathematics and to gunnery ; schools of swim- 
ming, engineering : in fine, schools of every nature 
that could mould the growing man to arms, to la- 
Dour and fatigue, were all erected and endowed by 
hira ; whilst hospitals were enriched and consider- 
ably enlarged, in every department, to aid his sick 
or disabled warriors. Hence their patience under 
privations almost unheard of; and hence they fre- 
quently died glorying in the wounds inflicted by a 
valiant or defeated enemy. 

After his career of victory, distinctions of rank 
began to multiply, and scarcely a trace was left of 
revolutionary liberty and equality. The vast fabric 
which Napoleon had raised, he saw, could only be 
maintained by success ; and that the loss of a single 
battle might become the signal for revolution, o^ 
for deserting him, as the event has proved. Re- 
peated victories, however, could not satisfy hia 
"nsatiable appetite for glory. He never foresaw 
any reverses, or, if he did, he never made any pro- 
vision against them. He depended too much upon 
iiis "high destinies" and tributary kings; he expect 
v.d too much from h o newly-created marshal? 



250 MEMOIRS OF [1821 

These kings felt themselves as only insti jments m 
his hands ; and the marshals saw no end to hia 
arduous campaigns. Notwithstanding the immense 
height to which France was raised during his im- 
perial sway, and the rapid succession of his g-pjendid 
victories, there was at length much disaffection at 
heart, though latent, and unperceived. The Jaco- 
bins, sworn enemies to crowned heads, were always 
numerous, and many of them powerful. The em- 
press Josephine well knew this, and, by the distii- 
bution of 400,000Z. a year, contributed to keep down 
the unruly spirits. Her manners conciliated and 
her bounty relieved ; her conduct and her address 
changed even her husband's enemies into friends. 
But, from the moment that the empress Marie 
Louise occupied her place, she ceased in this work 
of peace, and Napoleon soon found, that, on ventur- 
ing upon this connexion, he had approached a 
dangerous precipice, the brink of which had only 
been concealed by a bed of flowers. 

" Cradled in the camp, however, he was, to the 
last hour, the darling of the army. Of ail his 
soldiers, not one forsook him till affection was use- 
less ; and, even then, their first stipulation was for his 
safety. They knew well, that, if he was lavish of 
them, he was prodigal of himself; and that, if he 
exposed them to peril, he repaid them with riches. 
The victorious veteran glittered with his gains, and 
[he capital of France, gorgeous with the spoils of 
art, became the miniature metropolis of the uni- 
verse." 

But he is no more ; and nothing but a simple 
fitone marks the place that contains all that ia 
garthly of Napoleon Bonaparte, His remains were 



1821] 



NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 



251 



flot allowed to be transmitted to Europe, as f .'t 
had been believed, that 

" Even in his ashes glowed their wonted fires.* 



TaMe of some of the principal Events in the His 
toi-y of JVapoleonj from his Birth to his Decease. 

Born Aug. 15, 1769 

Entered the Military School of Brienne . . . 1779 

Transferred to the School of Paris .... 1783 

Lieutenant in the first artillery reg- ? o * ■• -i^oe 

, <• , ^v J & J. Sept. 1, 1785 

nnent of la Fere j 

Captain Feb. 6, 1/92 

Chief of battalion Oct. 19, 1793 

General of brigade Feb. 6, 1794 

General of division Oct. 16, 1795 

General-in-chief of the army of the? o * ofi 17Q'5 

interior 5 * * 

General-in-chief of the army of Italy Feb. 23, 1796 

First consul . . Dec. 13, 1799 

Consul for life ...... Aug. 2, 1802 

Emperor May 18, 1804 

Crowned Dec. 2, 1804 

Invaded Russia June 22, 1812 

First abdication at Fontainebleau , April 11, 1814 

Resumed the reins of government . March 20, 1815 

Second abdication at l'Elys6e . June 21, 181S 

Departed for St. Helena . . , Aug. 7, 1811 

Deceased in that island . . May 5, 1S2I 




°J1M^270 



